The Secret of Date
by Fuyuko the White Fox
Summary: What was Masamune's primary reason for attacking Nobunaga? What if the One-Eyed Dragon did not only have a Right Eye but also someone else to rely on? What were the influences that person had? Kagome x Masamune
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Be kind on me please. This isn't my first ff ever, but it's the first I've done in English. It's only my second language, my first being German. If there are any mistakes what so ever, or something I should improve, please tell me. I would treasure any advice you can give me!

Disclaimer: Neither Sengoku BASARA nor Inuyasha belong to me, they belong to their respective creators, I'm simply using them for my own amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Foresight**

The rain fell to the ground in a constant rhythm with an angry fierceness. Yet, it was ignored by the man standing amidst the falling drops, unprotected and unyielding, swinging his sword around frustrated.

From some distance away, another man watched this scenery unfold, a worried frown plastered on his face.

 _Masamune-sama…_

This man, who swung his sword like he wanted to slice the rain itself, was indeed the One-Eyed Dragon of Oushu, Date Masamune. Only a few days had passed since the battle of Okehazama. Kojuro knew, even though losing the head of Imagawa to Oda Nobunaga was part of his lord's restlessness, it was not the main cause of it. He was sure that Masamune had been reminded of that fateful night when the Devil King shot that gun.

 _That bastard of Owari took my Foresight._

In an instant, his blade sliced through the air again and for a split second, he saw the rain drops being sliced as well. Twice now had that Devil King taken something from him. He would get his revenge on that cocky bastard and take his foresight back from him!

"Masamune-sama."

He slowly turned around to face his Right Eye. He knew he didn't approve of how he was basically behaving like the child refusing to listen to anyone after being told ´no´ by his parents. He knew that, but he just couldn't find any other way to cope with it!

Before any of them could say anything, a third party decided to make itself known. Later on, he would vaguely remember having pity on the man for disturbing him while he was in a bad mood.

"Hello, the castle! The delicacy of Oushu, One-Eyed Dragon."

"What?" He didn't know this man, so how come he thought it smart to just waltz into the Dragon's den? With an bright red umbrella and such a colorful outfit it made his eye hurt.

"Your lovely guards at the gate told me I could find you here," the stranger said pointing back to the gate he came from to emphasize his point. More than irritated with his happy attitude, Masamune lashed out at him.

"If you're hungry, I think you want the teahouse." The stranger kept smiling though in a more awkwardly manner, scratching his cheek and mumbling something, though he could barely care less about it.

"What business do you have with Masamune-sama?" Kojuro asked. Apparently, he'd also had enough of this idiot. "You are in the presence of the Big Boss of Oushu, after all." Kojuro stared at the stranger like he expected him to launch a surprise attack. "It would be proper to introduce yourself first."

"Oh, sorry! My name's Maeda Keiji. Pleasure making your acquaintance." He pointed to the little monkey on his shoulder holding a leaf over its head. "This here is Yumekichi." The monkey squeaked and jumped to make his presence even clearer. As if their existence wasn't annoying enough.

"We have no need of a street performer here. Move along," Kojuro stated, clearly not in any way more pleased about this situation than his Lord. Unfortunately, the bastard was persistent.

"My word, this place is in lack of a woman's touch. Getting love to bloom here" He laughed "Gotta be one hell of a chore," Keiji said, completely disregarding the "invitation" to leave.

Kojuro stared at the man slightly wide eyed. Those words…

Masamune had heard him, too. Now, he was staring at the ground, his mind not on the same plane anymore…

* * *

 _A young boy, now closing in on his 13_ _th_ _birthday, upon which he would be declared a grown man and receive his new name. But that was not something he could be bothered with at this point._

 _Bontenmaru stood in the garden of his family estate and swung a sword around, his mind clearly not present. His claim as the next head of his clan was questioned due to his now missing eye. Even his own mother had turned against him! Speaking of which…_

" _Bontenmaru-kun, don't you think you've trained enough?" Bontenmaru turned to the speaker, standing on the porch that went around the estate. It was a black haired woman with long, wavy hair so black it would glow a bluish color when sun shone on it right. A bandage went around her head, covering some of that black hair and, more importantly, her left eye. She was dressed in a simple dark blue kimono, which pronounced the extraordinary blue color of her remaining right eye. He focused on his sword strikes again._

" _If I slack off, they'll think I can't take my position seriously. They'll believe me to be a weak, undeserving son of their lord. I'm merely the second option to choose, now. If at all." His face adopted a deep scowl. "I'll prove to them all that I'm the only one who can unite Oushu and all of Japan."_

" _You don't need to prove yourself. There are already many soldiers and civilians who admire your devotion to your people. If the advisors of your father don't trust you, you can't trust them in turn, so when you become the next head you can simply replace them with people you can entrust your back to." The swings paused, though his face stayed turned away from her._

" _Do you trust me?" The woman's eye widened in surprise._

" _Hu?"_

" _Do you trust me? Would you leave the future of this domain to me?"_

" _Of course! I have seen that you're not just the reckless, weak boy the council likes to portray you as. You are caring and thoughtful to a fault and you always take the well-being of you subordinates into consideration!"_

" _Then can I make a request? I know I have already received more favors from you than I would ever be able to pay back…but I need to ask this of you." Now he faced her fully, looking straight into her eye, as if he was trying to find something there. "Please stay by my side. Tomorrow and the day after that, next year and the ones after that… I want to show you the world I will create thanks to all your efforts. I want to prove to you that I am grateful for you saving me," He grinned at her. The woman smiled kindly, touched by his words._

" _I will stay by your side. Now and ever." She copied his grin before continuing. "I mean what would happen to this beautiful mansion without the touch of a woman? I won't have the Date mansion be a laughing stock."_

 _They both laughed at that. Bontenmaru because of the lifted burden on his shoulder and the woman out of relief that her little lord had regained his happy self._

* * *

"I don't know what carnival you came from," Masamune finally deemed himself to answer. "But you're way too happy for _my_ liking."

 _Bastard has no idea what he's talking about!_ He thought.

"Well, someone's gotta try and lighten the mood, right?" Keiji joked.

 _That little-!_

"All joking aside, I've come here to propose an alliance." The angry glare on Masamune's face was immediately replaced with an expression of both surprise and confusion, though the general bitterness was too stubborn to leave quite yet.

"What? An alliance?" He repeated.

"My hope is to bring generals together in the united front," Keiji elaborated. "Then pit ourselves against the Devil King of Owari."

"Hu, that's what I haven't heard before. A street performer riding reign on a bunch of samurai."

"Er, Masamune-sama?" Kojuro tried to get his attention.

"What?"

"This man, he's the Maeda family's wandering rogue."

"Really?" Masamune turned back to Keiji, now with slightly more interest. "That makes sense. No wonder I thought your plan was beyond crazy."

"Yeah, well, crazy is kind of my thing. Point is, the time for squabbling over our petty differences is over. In any conflict, the more it escalates, the harder it becomes for those involved to see things clearly. That is especially true in war." Suddenly he slammed he giant sword including sheath he had with him with the blades end on the ground, his hands resting on the hilt near the guard. "Date of Oushu, Takeda of Kai, Uesugi of Echigo and Tokugawa of Mikawa will secure the eastern front. Then Asakura of Echizen, Azai of Oumi and as many of the western generals as we can get will surround Oda." He explained with a confident smile. "And I'll pitch in, too. Wherever I can."

It was silent for a while, the rain being the only one to keep up its music.

"Not one for brevity, are ya?" He looked out to the fields of the village. "Oda Nobunaga" He remembered his meeting with at the battle of Okehazama. The sound of the gun when he had shot Imagawa Yoshimoto. The realization about the truth of his Foresight's disappearance… "He's not just any old man."

"You've met the Devil King! Then you understand! A man of your skill-"

"A man of my skill," Masamune interrupted him. "Isn't interested in serving under someone else," he stated, facing him again.

 _This is_ my _Foresight he stole from me. It's my battle and I won't have you mess it up!_

"This isn't a matter of who serves whom. What I'm trying to say here-"

"Since it's clear you won't drop it," He interfered again and went into a fighting stance. "Make me see things your way." Keiji sighed.

"I really didn't come here looking to fight with you, but if it's a…some one-on-one you want, I hear you've got a great red light district."

" **SHUT UP!** " And he charged. Fast. His opponent didn't even have time to react before he was already there, intended to strike from Keiji's left side upwards to his right shoulder. Against his expectations, the rogue was able to jump back in time, causing only the red umbrella to be halved.

"Your way, then, One-eyed Dragon," Keiji consented, preparing himself.

"The hell is this?" Masamune asked, referring to the still sheathed sword.

"I heard many a tale of your daunting abilities. Figured keeping it sheathed makes it a fair fight."

 _How dare he! Making me look like a weakling!_

"You won't like me when I'm angry," he growled, now every inch the dragon he was.

"What, are you saying you weren't already?" Keiji asked confused.

"Kojuro!"

"As always, Boss. Enjoy yourself."

Masamune charged again, running at his opponent in a half circle, ensuring he would be able to see every move by attacking him from his left. Keiji parried the blow with that monstrosity of a sheath and pushed him back, making himself free to attack. Which he did. With a high jump, he swung his sword downwards. Keiji's own strength combined with the force of gravity made the Dragon's arms shake under the sheer force. But he wouldn't give up so easily!

And so the battle went on with no one having the clear upper hand over the other. Finally, their swords clashed diagonally, freezing their wielders were they were, neither one able to move without risking his opponent's sword to end up in their throat.

"What is the point of ruling if you never find happiness?!" Keiji snapped. "Rather than bleed out on a distant battlefield wouldn't you rather perish in the arms of a loved one?"

 _Shut the fuck up, you shithead!_

They jumped back, gaining distance from each other, observing the other's movements, trying to predict his next move.

"I would," Keiji continued. "The thought of Toshi and Matsu torn apart by war" He slowly unsheathed his sword, catching Masamune's interest some, and leaned it against his shoulder, making him appear lax, though his expression promised he was anything but relaxed. He was serious. "That is more than I can ever bear!" And blade met blade for real. "I know it must seem trivial to someone like you!"

 _He's trading on very thin ice_ , Kojuro thought.

"Why rule if not to make a better world? Where we are free to love and fight and laugh and cry, find happiness. A world where dying for-" Masamune broke through Keiji's defense and started to mercilessly put him under his onslaught.

 _How dare he. How dare he! HOW DARE HE!_

Keiji tried to counter swinging his sword, leaving pink flashes behind, but Masamune jumped high into the air. Suddenly, the rest of the Dragon's Claws he had kept on the round, flew out of their sheaths and into his hands, leaving fearsome streaks of lightening in their wake. And he charged with a roar, befitting his title, fully set on incinerating this guy.

The entire area around them lit up in his trademark light blue lightening, morphing onto a giant dragon, soaring up the heavens.

Keiji's sword had fallen to the ground, his master sat a couple of feet away. Judging by the trails, he had been pushed back by the attack.

"Ow…" he moaned, before laughing up at the victor of their fight. The nerve this guy had.

"Sorry, flower boy. Go sell it someplace else." And with that, the One-Eyed Dragon turned his back to the Vagabond and left. Keiji tried to stop him, but when the Right Eye also turned away from him without even looking at him again, he gave up.

"Oh man…Though nut, indeed," Keiji murmured, majorly disappointed with himself.

* * *

"I have to say, Sir, I'm relieved," Kojuro stated. They were back in their castle in the assembly hall with Masamune casually leaning against a pillar supporting the building, looking out into the garden and Kojuro sitting in a proper seiza in the actual room, facing him. The rain had stopped some time ago, making way for the soft hues of orange and red of the sunset.

"About what?"

"At Okehazama, how you lost your courage when facing the Devil King."

"You ass. Enough with the sarcasm," Masamune interrupted, still not looking at him.

"Masamune-sama… Surely, you must have noticed it yourself," Kojuro tried to reason. "In that moment, you knew you could not die, that your position is such that you could simply not afford to. You came to realize this with every fiber of your being. You saw a man who carries the lives of his people upon his shoulders. Their pride, their future! You saw the ruler of a nation! I'm ashamed I did not notice it myself. Not until that strange Vagabond made me realize it. However, Sir, Keiji's challenge cannot go unanswered. The people of Oushu…and its entire army are prepared to follow whatever decision you make." Now, Masamune did turn his head to look at him, an expression rarely seen on his face plastered there.

"Kojuro…"

"As am I," he continued. "Since our first campaign I have been your Right Eye." He smiled. "And I always will be." After a short pause, he sighed and continued. "Though lately, it feels like all I ever do anymore is telling you what _not_ to do."

Standing up, Masamue commented "Well, that's true." His back was now facing Kojuro, his eyes focused on the garden again. "Someone has to make a stand eventually. Not someone" A grin grew on his face "Only one man can. And that's me. I trust you'll have my back, Kojuro."

"Sir!"

 _You're gonna pay for making a fool of me twice. Imagawa I can overlook, but you're sure as hell going to give me back my Foresight, whether you want to or not! I ain't leaving you without her!_

The next day, Masamune had gathered his soldiers, all geared up including horses, and ready to kick some ass.

"You boys ready?!" Masamune called.

"YEEEEEAAAAAH!"

"To Owari! We find Oda, take his head and bring back this Dragon's Foresight!"

"LET'S ROCK!"

"Alright. Then let's make some tracks!" And with that he spurted his horse into a gallop, leading the army, Kojuro slightly behind him to his left side and the rest following with cheer and war cries. Somewhere in-between, Keiji was easily distinguishable with his orange-yellow attire amongst the blue.

"Time to roll the dice", he stated, completely relaxed in the saddle, his head leaned on his right hand, a content, but also anticipating expression stretching his smile from ear to ear. "And I'm all in with Oushu to try the luck of the whole country."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, everybody! I'm actually surprised by the amount of people viewing this. 30 views the first day this was out! Considering there were only like three other ffs with this crossover, that was an astonishing sight for me! Also, thanks to FallenWings8Tears for following this ff! ;)

This chapter covers the fourth episode of the first season of BASARA, the first chapter covering the third episode. This ff will cover the entire first season with my own additions. That said, I chose to use the English Dub version of the show, meaning I cannot always understand everything being said with some of these characters being so fucking quiet that I cannot hear a single word unless I wear headphones. I would appreciate any help if I get something wrong. R&R everyone!^^

Disclaimer: I have no legitimate claims on Sengoku BASARA or Inuyasha. If I had, they would have ended in a completely different way.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Conflict brewing**

They rode throughout almost the entire day, only making a break to let the horses catch their breath and drink something. During one of those breaks, Masamune took notice of Keiji writing a letter and handing it to his little monkey. Kojuro did too, of that he had no doubt. But for now they would leave him be. Even if he was using them for some bigger plan, they were still doing their own thing, all the Vagabond could possibly do was taking advantage of it. Besides, for now their goals were about the same, so he highly doubted it could be something of any danger to him and his people.

When the sun started to set they stopped and started to build up their camp for the night. Making sure the colors of the Date were visible to any trespassers. Masamune sat on a chair in front of his family crest, talking to Kojuro about the upcoming battle.

"Sir, it is possible the letter was intended for either the Devil King or for the forces of Takeda and Uesugi. Considering his family's binds to Oda, he may want to lead us into a trap. Though his behavior contradicts such musings…" Masamune looked over Kojuro's shoulder to see Keiji interacting with several of his soldiers.

"No need to worry then. The Date do their own thing, it's how it is. What anyone else makes of it, doesn't really interest me. As long as it's not the enemy, of course," Masamune stated, slightly laughing at the last part.

Kojuro smiled. It seemed to him as though Masamune had regained his former self. All they needed now, was to retrieve their Foresight and return to Ôshu.

Dawn cracked, greeting the eager army of Ôshu who had actually risen before the sun and were now continuing on their way to Owari.

"One-Eyed Dragon!" came the call of the vagabond who was spurring his horse to go faster to catch up to said Dragon. Kojuro only spared him a quick side glance before concentrating on the road ahead of them again.

"What's up, lady killer?"

Uesugi's force should be passing through Shinano right now, making their way to Kai," Keiji stated.

"Hu. Looking for a rematch at Kawanakajima?"

"No, they will invade Owari _alongside_ Takeda, using us as their spearhead." Kojuro kept a close eye on the Vagabond. He could not place him between friend and foe. Especially now, where he had to replace Masamune's Foresight, he could not let his guard down.

"Don't think poorly of me," Keiji blabbered on. "Even if I hadn't spurred you on, you would've-"

"Don't stress out," Masamune interrupted. "Kojuro already saw through all that. There could be a million others of my height, but I _will_ take the Devil King's head. Wait and see." The grin growing on his face during the last part could literally be heard, in turn making the vagabond laugh at such a typical remark. "Then I sweep through and seize the rest. Takeda and Uesugi right there, I will crush them first." Remembering a certain twin spears wielding, naïve as hell guy, he added "Kinda too bad though. I wanted to save _my_ fun with him until the end."

* * *

Meanwhile, the army of Oumi, led by Azai Nagamasa himself, made its way to another battlefield, trying to stop Oda's intrusion on their ally Asakura. The sky hidden by gray clouds, fog hovering in the air, the atmosphere accompanying them was truly not much of a good omen. But even more disturbing was the brown cloud of dust and dirt, barely distinguishable from the fog. Peeking from just over the cloud was a skull on a pole, proudly striking the Oda crest.

"Takeda's ninja spoke true. Brother-in-law…why are you doing this?"

"My husband, please…," Ichi tried to plead. Nagamasa turned to his wife, ignoring what she was trying to say.

"Ichi, you must flee at once. Though I doubt even the Devil King would kill his own sister, I won't take that chance." Oichi didn't answer. But she was clearly fighting a battle of her own. Behind them, their soldiers readied their spears and took on a fighting stance in preparation for the worst outcome. The Oda army stopped just a the edge of the giant crater, as though waiting for their move. From among the soldiers a single horse emerged with his master, galloping over the edge down into the valley, the scythe of the white haired rider glinting.

"Akechi Mitsuhide," Nagamasa recognized. Mitsuhide halted his horse just in front of the river, with Nagamasa standing on the other side.

"Well, Azai Nagamasa-dono, to what field of battle might you be headed?" Mitsuhide asked.

"I lead my troops to Echizen in pursuit of an army of dark intent who wish harm on my sworn friend, Asakura. And where, Akechi-dono, might you be headed?" Mitsuhide chuckled.

"By all appearances, it would seem this army of ´dark intent´ you reference is us."

"You would break a pact made between warriors like it was nothing. I have no choice but to deem you true evil!" Nagamasa raged. Oichi stepped forward.

"Nagamasa-sama, wait…" But again her pleas fell on deaf ears.

"Ichi, please, go now!" Nagamasa demanded before turning back to Mitsuhide. "Akechi Mitsuhide. Listen well for I hereby declare our alliance foy!" He spurred his horse to cross the river. "Soldiers of justice, follow me to victory! In the name of peace let us eradicate evil!"

"Is that wise?" Mitsuhide taunted. "Your wife is Nobunaga-kou's sister. If you were to sever the blood bond, who would be the one to grieve?" Caught off guard by this question, Nagamasa halted his horse again and looked back to see his wife still standing there.

"What are you doing, Ichi?! Run!"

"I cannot run." She closed her eyes and lowered her head in shame.

"I'll make you a deal, Azai." Nagamasa's head whirled back around to Mitsuhide. "You can ask the Devil King yourself." Mitsuhide's head tipped over to the left, causing his hair to fall even deeper into his face. A smile plastered on his face all the while.

* * *

"Nagamasa, to what purpose to you stand in Mitsuhide's path?" Nobunaga asked. Shortly after Mitsuhide's offer they had found themselves in some sort of cave deep underground where the Oda army had made their camp, the walls around them covered with cloth presenting the Oda crest. The ceiling had a giant crack, causing sunlight to flood the circular room. In the middle of said room, sitting on a huge pile of skulls with his golden throne, decorated with skulls as well, was Nobunaga, his right elbow on the armrest and his hand supporting his bored looking face. Far behind him, hidden by the shadows were several of his retainers. To the side, there was a huge dragon, a real one! It was covered with black scales and hair, its brown horns growing majestically and perfectly symmetrical. The main body was long and sleek, encircling almost the entirety of the pile of skulls. It would need at least two large men to completely encircle her body's width. Her legs were not much longer than the entire body of an average person and a single claw would measure the same length as the hand of a human. Her head rested on the ground, the eyes closed. A metal collar was wound around her neck, clearly a bit too tight as the creature was huffing in an unnatural way and blood dripped down from it and several other places as well. Her hide was already so crusted with the dried blood, it was near impossible to tell the original color of it. The collar was connected to a thick pole, lodged deep into the earth, with a thick iron chain.

Nagamasa and Oichi were currently in front of Nobunaga, legs folded underneath them, their heads lowered in a show of submission. Mitsuhide had decided to stay next to the entrance they had come through.

"My answer, Lord brother, is a question for _you._ Why do you break the pact you made with me and seek to destroy Asakura?" The corners of Nobunaga's mouth lifted a bit. "The prosperity the Azai enjoy today is due to the support Asakura has shown since days of old! And you are a blood relative of my beloved wife." He closed his eyes to concentrate on finding the right words to convey his point. Once again, he completely ignored the anguished look on his wife's face. "Bound by my honor to both, my heart as a warrior-no" he opened his eyes again to pierce Nobunaga with his passionate gaze as he continued his speech. "As a human being deemed you true evil and urges me to draw my sword!" But the gaze of the Devil King simply wandered over to his sister, who had kept her eyes closed ever since coming here, unable to look at anyone or anything.

"This was… This was my fault."

"You simple imbecile. Alright." Nobunaga's attention returned to his brother-in-law. "Oda will _not_ attack Asakura," he consented. Now, Oichi's eyes opened, though they held a slightly puzzled expression. Nagamasa, on the other hand, was ecstatic and held a huge smile of relief.

"Thank you! I'm glad you reconsidered, brother-in-law!"

" _You_ will do it _for_ me," Nobunaga interrupted him smiling wide. Nagamasa' smile made way for a shell shocked expression, while Oichi simply seemed to understand what was going on, since the puzzlement from moments before had disappeared.

"I'm sorry, My lord, what did you say?!" demanded the Daimyo of Oumi.

"Mitsuhide."

"Sir" The couple looked over their shoulders at Mitsuhide to see what he would do. He knelt down next to Oichi and helped her up.

"What are you-…" Nagamasa wanted to ask and was already standing up, when…

"DO NOT MOVE!" Nobunaga hollered. Immediately, the head of the Azai clan froze and could do nothing but to watch his wife being led away from him until she was standing next to her brother's throne. Who deemed the situation now worthy enough to stand up.

"Dear brother…" Said brother responded to his sister by holding his trademark gun to her forehead. Smiling.

"Oda-sama, what is this?!" Nagamasa demanded to know, unable to comprehend this unexpected turn of events.

"Azai Nagamasa, you will destroy Asakura in my stead." Mouth agape in shock, he further rose up from where he was, though not truly giving up his kneeling position.

"This is insanity…" His hands came down to the ground as he hung his head in disbelief. "You insult me with threats of unspeakable horror. Our whole brotherhood is meaningless!" His head shot up again with new conviction. "I have but one course against such evil!" Grabbing his sword from behind him, he shot up. "I'm sworn to destroy it!" And thus, he drew his sword. Nobunaga simply applied more pressure on his sister's head with his gun.

"I'm the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven. I transcend humanity. Only death meets those who defy me." The sword in his hands shivered as Nagamasa kept his eyes on his brother-in-law. In Oichi's eyes swam tears, ready to fall at any time.

"Farewell, Nagamasa-sama. Can you…forgive me?" Nobunaga's index finger tightened around the trigger, unhindered by the words of his sister. Panicking, Nagamasa threw his sword away and reached his hand out towards her, trying to stop his brother-in-law, but was forced to a halt by Mitsuhide who held his scythe under his chin. Coming to the realization that he couldn't win this battle, he fell down to all fours, admitting his defeat.

"Alright. I'll do it," he gave in breathlessly. Mitsuhide cackled.

"So much for the man of _justice_."

"Nagamasa-sama…" Oichi whispered.

"Little brother, I _can_ be forgiving," Nobunaga started, removing his gun from her forehead "But there will not be a second time."

"If you abide the terms of our new pact, we shall return Oichi-sama to you," Mitsuhide promised, grinning as if drunk from their victory. Nagamasa's entire body shivered in anger and frustration, yet unable to do anything. Blood oozed from his lip, which he had bit to keep himself in check.

* * *

Somewhere far away from that underground camp, a much more promising and hopeful alliance was made. The forces of the Uesugi from Echigo and the Takeda from Kai faced each other. The commanders of each army spurred their horse forward until they were standing next to one another.

"In truth, it is you who I would most like to face this day," Shingen stated.

"Likewise," Kenshin answered smiling. Then they simultaneously lifted their respective weapons, a sword and an axe and crossed them over their heads.

"This is all or nothing!" Kenshin shouted for all to hear. "In dispelling the threat of the Devil King we ensure a future for all! Let us fight for the sake of a time when all may choose their own path without reserve!" A chorus of passionate war cries was the response to Kenshin's speech. The Tiger's young Cub, however, gazed down upon his spear, bearing scratches and some light tears from many battles, in thought.

"Young Cub," Kenshin called, shaking him awake from his musings. "We shall be counting on you."

"Sir, I won't let you down!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Date Masamune was closing in on Nobunaga fast.

"So, One-Eyed Dragon, who is that warrior you mentioned the other day?" Keiji started, just a bit behind Masamune, arms crossed over his chest as if to intimate said Dragon, though his hands were fast to return to the reins when he almost fell off the horse. "Once you've defeated the Devil King, there is someone else you wanna fight?"

"Yeah. You could say that."

"I could see your heart," Keiji said vaguely.

"Hu?" Deciding to come to that later, Keiji evaluated "There is a look about you when you think of him."

" _Hu?_ " Confused, he turned his head to look at him with his good eye. Keiji grinned knowingly at him.

"It's the difference between a fight and a war." Laughing, Masamune turned his head away from him again to focus on the road. He was starting to like that guy a bit. Next to Keiji, Kojuro closed the distance between himself and Masamune, glancing at the vagabond shortly, before concentrating on being the one to ride closest to Masamune instead of letting Keiji be so close. Noticing, Keiji gave him a somewhat self confidant grin, which might as well have been an awkward smile. Wasn't a dragon supposed to guard his eyes and not the other way around?

* * *

Racing over the hills like the devil himself was chasing him, Nagamasa hurried to face Mitsuhide again, preferably with better results than their last encounter.

"Mitsuhide!"

"Why is your army not at your back?" Mitsuhide asked. "Do you intent to try and negotiate?"

"Indeed. It is my hope I may convince Asakura to surrender to Oda _without_ bloodshed."

"Or perhaps," Mitsuhide started. "You hope to sway him to the side of the Eastern Generals with their pathetic little plot. Surely they invited you to join them. But knowing you, I'm certain you most obstinately refused."

"Nor will I join them _now_!" Nagamasa insisted. As if he hadn't heard anything, the Devil King's trusted general continued.

"As their spearhead, Ôshu's One-Eyed Dragon and his army are closing in fast, hoping to take the Devil King's head."

"One-Eyed Dragon?" Nagamasa echoed.

"Tokugawa is moving to hold back Takeda and Uesugi at Nagashino. If Date gets past them, it will be _problematic_. At the moment, I believe _that_ is more pressing than Asakura." Mitsuhide closed in on him, looking at him from the side, smiling. "You must know I've revealed this only to you. You must show honor in battle for Nobunaga-kou to accept a peaceful end with Asakura. And should he not, Oichi-sama's life would hang in the balance."

"He wouldn't," Nagamasa argued. Flipping some of his white hair back, Mitsuhide grinned down at him.

"I am struck by your undying faith in the cause of justice. That said, this is about all I can do for you."

"Then I, Azai Nagamasa, shall be a shield and repel the One-Eyed Dragon! But after which I _do_ intent to resume my course with Asakura!"

"Understood. I shall convey your message."

"My deepest gratitude." With that, Nagamasa led his horse back to where he came from and rushed home.

"I'm glad that in some small way, I'm able to help you carry out justice. Azai...Nagamasa," Mitsuhide murmured with unreadable expression as he watched the lord of Oumi disappear into the distance...

Back at his castle, Nagamasa stepped through the gate. After a moment of hesitation, he called out.

"Soldiers of justice, fall in! Prepare for battle! The Azai Army shall not rest until the One-Eyed Dragon, Date Masamune, is obliterated!"


	3. Chapter 3

Welcome to chapter 3, everyone! This is the fifth episode of the first season, one I had major trouble writing about. I do not quite like how it turned out, but maybe I'm just being overly critical with myself again. Again, R&R, give me feedback, advice, anything at all, I'd really appreciate it. Love you!

Big "Thank you"s to **FallenWings8Tears** for favoriting and leaving a review, and to **Kakashi's hoe** for following. ^^

Disclaimer: My OTPs will never be canon... *sniff*

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Battle at Nagashino**

The Date Army was still on its way to where Oda was, though they kept up a good pace.

"Masamune-sama!" A grunt was the only response Kojuro got. "About this Maeda Vagabond, I'm still not sure I trust him..."

"What, you think he's luring us into the Devil King's clutches?"

"It is not inconceivable," Kojuro admitted. "He may not be tied down to his house, but he still claims the family name. Maeda Toshiie supports Oda and in turn, I hear he was just given the lands of Kaga." Masamune huffed.

"Whatever. As long as he doesn't get in _my_ way." _For if he does, I'm going to kill him._

* * *

At Nagashino, the combined forces of Takeda and Uesugi were confronted with the Tokugawa army, undoubtedly not in the mood for small talk about taking Oda's head. Exchanging a quick glance with his rival, Shingen spurred his two horses he was standing on, to go forward.

"Yukimura," he called out.

"Oyakata-sama!"

"You're with me." Making the young Cub follow his lords example.

"Ieyasu-sama!" A soldier of the Tokugawa army called. "It's Takeda Shingen, he is headed this way."

"What?" Surprised, Ieyasu stood up from his stool, looking up the hill to confirm what he had been told. "Shingen-kou…"

Though looking ready to fight them off, the foot soldiers let the enemy general and his student through. That didn't stop them from murmuring amongst themselves, however. Eventually, they stopped and dismounted. After looking around, Shingen set down his axe, causing a giant wind to form and whirl around him and the earth to shake. Only then did he advance on the lord of Mikawa. Yukimura was more than ready to follow, but…

"Halt!" Ieyasu stopped him. The soldiers around him had gripped their weapons stronger, ready to attack any given moment, though Ieyasu's order had stopped them from attacking. Yukimura also froze.

"Your spears, Yukimura." Shingen gazed at him intently. "You will not need them." Moments later, said spears found themselves stuck in the earth, out of reach of their master, who was now allowed to have an audience with the general of the Tokugawa army. Kenshin stayed at the front of their combined forces and watched from a safe distance as this actions unwound themselves.

"It has been too long, Takechiyo," Shingen stated.

"Ah, Shingen-kou, you're looking as well as ever. I'm glad."

"Hn," he grunted in acknowledgement.

"Ieyasu-dono, I'm Sanada Genjiro Yukimura. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Yukimura stated and bowed his head, though it was more of a nod, his eyes never leaving Ieyasu's figure.

"I've heard tales of your many valorous deeds. You have no need to worry, I would not be so uncouth as to attack you and Shingen-kou while you're both unarmed," Ieyasu said, handing his own spear to one of his retainers behind him, his eyes never straying from the people in front of him, as well. "Forgive my silence in our correspondence. But for us to meet in such a manner, especially here, on the field of battle-…"

"I believe," Shingen interrupted. "Rather, in know in my heart you are merely waiting for the right moment. For I also know you must suffer the humiliation of your customary alliance with Oda in silence."

"Indeed. For now, I must endure. But someday, I shall surpass even you, Shingen-kou. This world… This era will be forged by these hands!" He balled his left hand to a fist for to emphasize his words. The slight narrowing of Shingen's eyes did not go unnoticed. "But the time is not yet right to embark on my great endeavors. 'Tis why I have allied myself with the opponent I least wish to face on the battlefield."

"Your time will never come, Takechiyo." Ieyasu looked up at Shingen with shock and surprise. "Before you can even think to seize the country, you will surely be used and crushed by Oda." Ieyasu's face reclaimed its calm and collected expression as he formulated his response.

"Taking up arms like this is unlike you Shingen-kou. And such rash behavior is ill-befitting of the War God of Echigo. Brute force will only bring you failure."

"This is not a time when patience will reveal a path to survival! We must pour all our resources before it is too late! If we leave Oda unchecked, fighting over land will be the least of our concerns! For what good is land in a world where not even a blade of grass will grow?" Shingen tried to convince him. "Takechiyo, live your life unfettered from the fear of death. Join with us _against_ Oda!" Silence followed his words as a breeze passed through the camp.

"…Alas, I cannot." Yukimura looked at Ieyasu with the emotion of sadness etched on his face, aware of what would follow after this conversation. "Whether I die or remain, it is all the same to me. Oda has charged me with protecting the east and I will not betray that alliance."

"If that is so…" Shingen was clearly disappointed.

"Once I have given my word, even if it is to the Devil King Oda, who commits all manners of atrocities, even knowing I may face _his_ betrayal, I will never betray a solemn oath! On my honor…as a Mikawa warrior!" Letting his words sink in, he stretched out his arm for his spear, never looking away from whom he has thusly declared an adversary. Spear in hand, Ieyasu stepped forward, between the Kai warriors, to his army. "All units, engage!" He was rewarded with loud cries of agreement and anticipation. Not turning to the Tiger of Kai, who was also presenting his back to the Mikawa lord. "In truth, I have been waiting for this moment," Ieyasu admitted, watching his people run to the enemy army to fight them for supremacy. "I cannot be the one to initiate, but I may engage any ogressmis(?). If I win this battle, it will surely lay the foundation of my power and eventually challenge Oda."

"As you are now… Do you think you're capable of that?"

"Watch me and find out." Shingen closed his eyes, accepting that he could not sway Ieyasu.

"Yukimura. We're finished here." With that, he turned to leave.

"Oyakata-sama, showing one's back to one's enemy…" Yukimura tried to say as he looked back at Ieyasu in case he would try something funny, but found his words stuck in his throat. There stood Ieyasu, proud master of Mikawa, his head lowered to them, an internal battle evident on face.

"Ieyasu-dono…"

* * *

From the distance, Kenshin had watched the exchange and concluded that Shingen and his Cub had failed to persuade the enemy general.

"In these turbulent times 'right' and 'wrong' have all but lost their meanings," Kenshin claimed. "But so long as the people need leadership and protection, the path of the 'right' must still be taken! Both armies, advance, move swiftly and annihilate the enemy!" War cries responded to his speech, as the Tokugawa troupes closed in on them and they, too, led by Kenshin himself, ran in to meet them.

* * *

At the Tokugawa encampment, Shingen and Yukimura had recollected their weapons and mounted their horses.

"Yukimura, you and I will strike at Tokugawa from behind," Shingen stated.

"Oyakata-sama…was a pincer attack always your plan if Ieyasu-dono could not be won over?"

"It did not want it this way. But Takechiyo most certainly had to realize I would not withdraw unless he ordered a charge. Which he could only attempt with the so-called invincible Honda Tadakatsu at his back."

"Honda Tadakatsu…?"

"Or perhaps," Shingen mused. "He has some other gamble yet to reveal…"

"Right, just by sheer numbers, fighting us head-on would seem to be… _reckless._ "

"Then we proceed with care. Onward!" And thus, he rode on, into the battle, with Yukimura right behind him.

The battle was already churning hot, with The War God and Kasuga in the midst of it, when Yukimura and Shingen joined in on the fun. Jumping from his horse's back in a grand manner, with several turns and twists successfully surrounding himself with his crimson flames, he announced his arrival.

"Perfect. Spear. Of conquest!" He shouted, assuming a new stance with each word. "Sanada Yukimura…is here!" Not hesitating any further than that, he blazed through the foot soldiers and made them fly through the air from the sheer force of his flames. Though Shingen was not one to be left behind by his student. Finding himself surrounded by enemy soldiers, he just had to swing his giant axe in a half circular motion to create a giant whirlwind, which lifted any soldier too close to it, up and tossed him around in such a wild manner, they would surely have problems walking in a straight line should they ever come down.

"All units, move from Fish Scale to Crane Wings formation! Take the main encampment!" Kenshin ordered as he galloped through the lines and immediately the cavalry stormed past him to then split in front of the closed formation of enemy soldiers. One group ran to the left, the other to the right, surrounding their target with no escape.

Yukimura had watched it happen from where he was, still engaged with another unit, until he was distracted as he saw a man running to the side of a fallen one, both from the Tokugawa and obviously good friends. Tears in his eyes, the man ran at him crying "For Ieyasu-sama!" in despair, only to drop dead, revealing Sasuke standing there, his left arm still outstretched from throwing his weapon.

"What's gotten into you, Danna?! This isn't your first battle! Did meeting Ieyasu down your fighting spirit?" Sasuke demanded to know as he retrieved his giant throwing star.

"No, nothing of the sort!"

"That is the pain of taking a life," Shingen explained out of nowhere.

"Oyakata-sama!"

"Our foes are like us. They too have people they hold in their hearts, futures they hope for!" Concentrating back on the situation at hand and the soldiers coming at them, he turned to said soldiers to unleash another whirlwind. "But the Oda faction does not!" Looking back at Yukimura again, he added "Our opponents are still men, Yukimura. As you wield your spears, do not ever forget that."

"Hai!" Sasuke stepped up to stand next to Shingen.

"Oyakata-sama, instead of attacking Asakura, Oda is sending his army here," he reported.

"Then this battle may yet be decisive…" Shingen concluded. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind came up that was not caused by the Tiger of Kai. In the distance, they could hear a hopeful "Tadakatsu!" cry and moments later, a giant of a man stood on the field, Ieyasu proudly standing on his right hand.

Led by Kenshin's first student Naoe Kenatsugu, an assault on the giant was attempt, but he easily fought them off single-handedly, even merely swatting Kanetsugu into the trees like he was some insect.

"Tadakatsu, don't tell anyone this, but you're almost too good for me!" Ieyasu laughed as he swung his hands up and cross them behind his head. Then a movement to his right caught his attention. Blue-yellow banners and wild hairstyles…

"That's…the One-Eyed Dragon of Ôshu!"

* * *

Said army had also recognized what was happening.

"Tokugawa is moving to block Takeda and Uesugi's path," Kojuro analyzed as they rode past the battle.

"It's just a skirmish. Once we knock off the Devil King, we double back and clean up," Masamune stated. "Then we get Shinano, too." _We can't afford to be caught up in some meaningless battle. Taking her back is priority, no matter what anyone else thinks of it!_

"Even the Tiger of Kai couldn't convince him…" Keiji realized with the shadow of frustration on his face. Neither the Dragon nor his Right Eye answered as they had something else on their mind. And that something forced them to an abrupt stop. The Azai army. Masamune whistled, despite his inner rage.

"You've got some kinda nerve, trying to block _my_ way." _Go before I make you!_ The smile he had previously managed to get up, vanished. "Who are you and where're you from?"

"Hear me well, I am Azai Bizen no Kami Nagamasa! I will not allow you to take one step further!" Nagamasa shouted, waving his arm around in an important looking demeanor, though it did nothing to impress his opponent this time.

"Azai Nagamasa…" Masamune vaguely remembered that name.

"In the name of justice, I shall cleanse the world of your sins!"

"Azai Nagamasa, the Devil King's brother-in-law," Kojuro started. "Perhaps Oda sent him here." Masamune huffed annoyed.

 _No wonder I thought I knew that name. Though I doubt he has any answers for me._

Behind him, Keiji scouted the area, shielding his eyes from the sunlight with his hands.

"Where are you watching from…Devil King?" Keiji mumbled under his breath as he suddenly saw a steep mountain with some dead trees on it. The mountain itself seemed to omit a ominous atmosphere. Not hesitating any further, Keiji spurred his steed to the mountain, ignoring the calls of Masamune's retainers. Kojuro had watched it as well. Following the direction of his path, he found the mountain as well and gasped.

A giant cloud had gathered and on the tip of the mountain stood Nobunaga, his red cape doing nothing to hide his presence, more like taunting them for not being able to reach him. All over Nagashino, other participants had noticed his malicious presence as well.

"Kenshin-sama, look!" Kasuga called.

"Keiji…"

"That bastard," Kojuro murmured, having realized Keiji's true intentions. "Maeda Keiji finished setting the stage, now he's returning to his own side. I believe Oda intents to crush us, Takeda and Uesugi here in Nagashino."

"Sounds like fun," Masamune said through his gritted teeth. He was so close! "Wilder the party the better, right?" Thrusting his sword up, Nagamasa appealed to his army.

"Soldiers of justice, follow me! Annihilate the forces of evil!" With passionate war cries they stormed in at the Date army.

"Masamune-sama, leave their soldiers to us!" Kojuro demanded. _Go and retrieve our Foresight_ , he thought.

"Thanks, Kojuro. I'm sure you've got this. _Ha!_ " With that, he raced towards Nagamasa to put a quick end to this with the cheers of his boys at his back. "Let's make this cool." And they both jumped from the backs of their horses and clashed swords in midair. Trying to make it quick, Masamune put all his speed into it, but Nagamasa responded in kind, resulting in only the sparks of their clashing blades being visible to the common eye. In fact, they had been so fast, they had crossed blades several times before coming back to the ground both unharmed. In the background, they could hear both of their armies clashing as well.

"Not bad for a warm-up," Masamune teased, reassuming his stance. "Boss of Ôshu, Date Masamune" His blue lightening engulfed him as he charged. " _Full speed ahead!_ " When both generals clashed, one could not have been capable of telling the difference to a bomb exploding. Shingen had seen it even from his own battlefield.

"Azai Nagamasa…so he serves as Oda's vanguard."

* * *

Back at the mountain, Mitsuhide stood to Nobunaga's left, while Nohime and Ranmaru were to the Devil's right, and explained the turn of events he had successfully brought upon. Oichi stood a couple of feet behind them, soldiers keeping her in place should she try to run. Further behind them laid the dragon, already creating new pools of blood, with several spears pierced into its body, pinning it down.

"Behold, Nobunaga-kou, as he is passionately loyal, Azai-dono attempts to repel the One-Eyed Dragon for _you_ , his beloved brother-in-law _._ "

"Nagamasa-sama…" Oichi whispered.

"Mitsuhide," Nobunaga started. "The arquebus core that was going to Ieyasu, where are they at?"

"I assigned them as rear support for Azai. I felt it was necessary precaution against Date's mobility." Not saying anything, Nobunaga refocused on watching the battle unfold.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yukimura had fought his way through to Ieyasu and Tadakatsu.

"Honda Tadakatsu-dono, greatest warrior in all the lands, I presume. Stand firm! You face Sanada Yukimura! Let us have a clean fight!" And with no further ado, Yukimura moved to attack. Tadakatsu parried the blow with his own spear and then tried to hit him, but found his giant spear blocked by Yukimura's, though he was continuedly pushed further back until he finally found a good footing. " _I WILL NOT YIIIIEEEELD!_ " And then, he threw off the spear's way, away from him.

"He stopped Tadakatsu's attack?!" Ieyasu said disbelieving his own eyes. Starting the engine on his back, Tadakatsu threw Yukimura high into the air, before flying after him, striking his spear at him, apparently believing Yukimura wouldn't be able to parry since he had no ground to stand on, nor dodge. But The Tiger Cub used his own spear's to get away from his opponents' by parrying the strike in a way that would catapult him out of harms way. Safely landing on the ground with Tadakatsu behind him, he found Sasuke standing right before him, ready to attack, which he did the second his master was aware of his presence, the throwing star just barely missing the Cub's head. Though the star uselessly flew off from the giant's armor, Shingen was not far behind to try his hand on the mightiest warrior in the lands himself. Upon crossing blades, both Shingen and Tadakatsu found themselves stuck. Neither could move away, without risking his own safety, their strength equal.

"Oyakata-sama, I shall take him one-on-one!"

"He is not one who could be defeated alone," Shingen uttered between clenched teeth just as they sunk into a crater as the earth could not stand their display of power. Then, somehow, they separated and Yukimura immediately attacked. Only to then find his spear's stuck. One in a crook of the armor, the other in the giant's right hand.

"Hold your ground, Tadakatsu!" Ieyasu cheered, having completely forgotten about the battle. From behind Tadakatsu, Sasuke emerged seemingly out of nowhere throwing his star at him again. With Tadakatsu distracted for but a second, Yukimura could quickly retrieve his spear from the armor and spinning it around wildly to gain momentum, he jumped high up and charged. The spear pierced the armor close to the flying engine and not retrieving it in time, the pole broke, leaving the sharp end stuck in the armor. Sparks shot up from the engine and Tadakatsu shook. Overlooking the battlefield, Ieyasu could see that they would not be able to keep their ground for much longer, especially with Tadakatsu's worsening battle.

* * *

"Kizan Juumonji!" Masamune neutralized the attack with a ball of blue lightning, throwing up dust and hindering his sight considerably. But the same had to go for Azai. That's why Masamune waited till the dust had somewhat settled until he spoke up.

"Alright, you earned a full fury" He drew his six swords, lightning dancing over them. "Of my Dragon Claws!" Gripping his sword tighter, Nagamasa responded.

"I would _die_ before I surrender."

* * *

As if she heard his words, Oichi gasped. But it wasn't his words that had shocked her. To her, it was far more frightening to see the Oda arquebus core creeping up on her husband.

"Akechi-sama," she started, realization dawning on her. "You wouldn't order the arquebus core to attack from where they are?" Though it was phrased as a statement, it sounded more like a question than anything else. Mitsuhide grinned back at her.

"Well, we don't need to keep the One-Eyed Dragon pinned down since our scaled friend here" Indicating to the dragon with his eyes. "Refused to tell us anything about him, we cannot risk him to grow powerful enough to launch an attack. We don't have ties to keep him down nor can we form an alliance with him. And without information on his weaknesses it would be dangerous to keep him alive, especially since he has more than enough reason to attack."

"But Nagamasa-sama would be-…" Her pleas fell on deaf ears.

* * *

Not so far away from the Oda faction anymore, Keiji was gaining ground on them, but so was Kenshin who had followed Keiji.

"Keiji, wait!" And still in full gallop, he actually made his horse jump over Keiji's, before coming to an abrupt stop, forcing Keiji to do the same since there was no way to go around him on the narrow mountain trail. "I see it now. This was your plan from the start! Unite the Eastern Generals to hold the Devil King in check and with all of us busy, you'd use the Maeda name to try and talk some sense into him! Unfortunately, your preparations are lacking."

"I'll never know unless I try," Keiji grinned. "Before this gets anymore out of hand, I-…"

"And the Devil King's response is quite obvious," Kenshin interrupted. "You put far too much faith in the good in people."

"Come on, the Devil King wasn't always a devil, was he?"

"Sadly, in this world, there are some who are truly born evil." His right hand wandered to his sword. "As your friend, I cannot allow you to go to your death." The grin that had previously graced Keiji's features had vanished.

* * *

Oichi ran to her brother, or at least tried to before crossed spears blocked her path. Falling toher knees, she pled.

"Nii-sama, please stop them! Please spare Nagamasa-sama!" First, there was no response from her brother. Then…

"Mitsuhide," He called, drawing the name out as only could. "This time…you've gone too far." And he turned around, walking away from the cliff.

"You have my apologies, Nobunaga-kou." Nobunaga went past Oichi, not even sparing her a glance.

"Nii-sama, please!" She tried, but he didn't even stop as he walked closer to the dragon.

"Oichi-sama" Turning at the sound of her name, she found Mitsuhide inches away from her face, his head dipped to the side in a sickening way. A smile evident as always "Go now, while there is still time." The next thing she knew, she sat behind Mitsuhide on his horse as they galloped the steep mountain down to the battle, drawing the attention of Kenshin and Keiji.

* * *

Oblivious to all of this, Nagamasa and Masamune were still going at it.

"Tenken Resshouken!" Masamune was thrown back into the air. Believing the fight to be over, Nagamasa was just about to relax and calm down from this fight, when…

"Wow, you're pretty good." Masamune had simply dodged with a somersault. Nagamasa's eyes widened when he saw the cross-lightning bolt coming his way, having not expected further resistance. He couldn't move out of the way in time, so instead he used the shield on his left arm to protect himself. Though he did not end up injured, his shield had taken major damage und the force of the attack left him gasping for breath and a little sunken in. Shaking the now useless shield away, he regained a proper stand.

"My righteous will…is un…yielding!"

 _You idiot._

"I go…where the beacon of honor guides me! Even if I should lose all my limbs." Somewhere in the back of his mind, Masamune was aware of Kojuro coming up behind him. "I. Will. Not. Falter!" preparing for his next attack, he shouted "Mugon Sokusatsu!"

"Nagamasa-sama!" Freezing, he turned to see his wife running towards him.

"Ichi!" And she fell down. Looking up she shouted at him.

"Nagamasa-sama, RUN!" And glancing behind her, Nagamasa spotted Mitsuhide standing with lots of Oda soldiers armed with firearms. Mitsuhide chuckled.

"Now then, let's see all of you dance for me." He raised his scythe to point it at them, thus giving the arquebus core their signal. Oichi got back on her feet and turned to them, trying to get them not to shoot. But it was too late.

Bullets shot through the air, piercing armor and flesh. Nagamasa's. Masamune stood still as the bullets flew past him, even as one scratched his helmet.

"Masamune-sama!" Kojuro shouted, trying to reach him to get him to safety. All movements ceased on the battlefield as the shots echoed across.

Nagamasa thrust his sword in the earth to somehow keep himself upright as he reached for Oichi, who now stood frozen, looking at her husband with an disturbingly neutral face.

"Ichi…" Another round of bullets hit him, this time succeeding in making him fall. Still, Oichi did not move, shock and disbelief only slightly distinguishable on her face, even as her beloved husband, Nagamasa, hit the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, guys! Another chapter, another chance. It has been brought to my attention by **Hazelnut Coffee Queen** that retelling the episodes is boring to some of you and I apologize for that. I personally like stories like this so I hadn't considered it. I will try to skip the more unneccessary scenes, but I am going to include those with the Date Army since they are the most important characters here.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Memories**

The only thing that could be heard were Mitsuhide's cackling and, though much quieter, Masamune's enraged growls from behind his clenched teeth. His glare so dark, no one would have questioned his nickname.

"Nagamasa-sama!" Finally able to move her legs again, she ran up to her husband, but stopped, her hands flying to cover her mouth in shock, as she took in the damage done to her beloved. Crying his name again, she kneeled next to him and lifted him up, murmuring "Please, no…"

"Ichi…this is a field of battle," Nagamasa said weakly. "It isn't safe for you...here…" Disregarding his words, she hugged him tightly, unable to accept this cruel fate. Far behind them, the third round was getting ready. Mitsuhide's chuckling alone alarmed here of his closer coming presence.

"Thank you for your services, Oichi-sama. I do feel it is worth mentioning that you did not accomplish _one_ of your objectives. Worked out in the end, though." Then, he addressed Nagamasa. "Oichi-sama's marriage into the Azai was the groundwork for an attack on Asakura." Shocked that he would reveal it all now, Oichi's head rose up to look at him. "Her role was seduction, of course. Not just of you but your top generals. To undermine your authority." Shaking her head desperately, she tried to deny it, but her tears proved the truth. Nagamasa's eyes, which had been focused on Mitsuhide as he spoke, now wandered to his wife. "Or so it was supposed to go. Oichi-sama was incapable of this, because like a fool, she fell in love. Like a puppet on a string, too proud to reveal her true self, yet to weak to carry out her secret mission." Feeling the tears about to fall, she faced away fromher husband, her eyes closed, unable to face him. All the while, his eyes never left her, unbelieving of what he heard and yet finally making sense of everything. "Because she decided to nurture her marital bonds, she brought about an even more tragic end for those closest to her now share in her misfortune. Beautiful to behold, rotten to the core, sister of the Devil King." Features twisting to a grim expression, Nagamasa spoke up.

"Ichi…have you…truly deceived me all this time?" Now the tears sprang forth as Oichi slowly opened her eyes as she spoke.

"Nagamasa-sama, I'm sorry. You and the people of Azai, you have deserved better! This is…all my fault… I'm sorry, so sorry!" Suddenly, there was a hand in front of her. Believing he would slap her, she jumped slightly, but instead she felt him stroking her wet cheek. The hand pulled her back to him, forced her to look him in the eyes.

"How you must have suffered." Brushing the tears away, he continued "You needn't need more any longer."

"Nagamasa-sama!" She cried, holding his hand to her cheek, when Nagamasa groaned in pain.

"Soldiers of justice, I'm…sorry. While perishing here is my deepest regret…I, Nagamasa, have upheld justice to my very last breath." Looking at Oichi again, he asked "Ichi, tell me I was not wrong, that all this was not in vain."

"No, my beloved, you were not wrong. You were never wrong." Nodding weakly, he smiled at her.

"Thank you…Ichi. I love y…" He went limb in her arms. Catching him before he could fall out of her arms, she cried out his name over and over, tears running relentlessly. Still behind her, Mitsuhide chuckled.

"Your weeping, Oichi-sama, is music to my ears."

Having witnessed all that, Masamune picked up Nagamasa's now broken helmet.

"Kojuro…"

"Sir." Focusing his gaze on the creepily smiling general, Masamune wordlessly handed the helmet over to his Right Eye.

"Boss, what are you…?" He tried to ask, but deemed it futile as Masamune was already walking away from him, not listening to anything he might have said.

"We meet again," Masamune growled, his glare burning into his opponent. He just laughed.

"Crushing of the people's battles is getting to be your specialty. And to think not a single round hit you. You seem to be extraordinary lucky."

" _I don't know what aftereffects he might suffer in the future. I have never tried this on a person, after all," a woman's voice echoed. "Other than fighting the poison it might give him further resistance and durability as far as wounds are concerned."_

Masamune narrowed his eye as that particular memory surfaced in his mind. It wasn't originally meant for his ears. The owner of the voice had said this to Kojuro, something he had unintentionally overheard.

"You serve the Devil King…" _You must have the answers I want…!_

"Masamune-sama, don't do this, Sir!" Kojuro tried to stop him, the helmet of the fallen general held securely in his right arm.

"He was your shield, he fought for you! You gunned him down from behind like a rabid dog! This regression will not stand!" Mitsuhide once again laughed, this time much louder, like someone had told him a very good joke.

"I see you're angry, One-Eyed Dragon." He brought his scythe up, ready to fight. "Shall we have a little fun?"

"You're on!" And then, he charged. Mitsuhide's scythe took on the blow and kept it from advancing any further. "You freak, what the hell is with the drunk look on your face?!"

"My dear boy, I'm savoring the afterglow."

"What?"

"Nothing in the world gives me greater delight than troumling the steadfast bond between two lovers. The only pleasure that could even _compare_ " Mitsuhide threw off Masamune's sword and jumped away from him in a high backwards somersault. He landed a couple of feet away from Masamune and then continued, all the while stroking his scythe. "Would be a worthy opponent, drenched in blood and tears, groveling at my feet for his life." Looking up from his scythe to the single eye of the Dragon, he added "Although torturing a captured dragon for information wasn't so bad either." Masamune's scowl made way for shock and disbelief.

 _No…!_ Mitsuhide's expression contorted into a taunting grimace.

"Now, let the festivities begin!" And with the look of a crazed man, he ran at Masamune, saliva flying from his mouth, his scythe swung around with no real strategy behind it to be seen. At the speed of the strikes, Masamune could only parry them, unable to predict any due to the random attacks.

 _This bastard… He knows something!_

He was only vaguely aware of the ruckus to his right side, where Tokugawa and the joined forces were still fighting, but upon hearing dozens and dozens of gunshots and shortly following huge explosion did manage to draw his attention enough to make him inspect his blind spot with his valuable remaining eye. Though his opponent did not give him much time as he giggled _again_.

"With that, the eastern lands are crippled. Right for extinction any given time." Unwilling to hear anymore such nonsense, Masamune jumped high to crush Mitsuhide with an downward swing of his sword, but once again, Mitsuhide catapulted himself out of harms way like it was all a game to him.

"What's wrong, One-Eyed Dragon? I expected more from a general out for revenge for his beloved pet dragon. So, are you going to dance for me or not?" Cringing, Masamune kept himself from making Mitsuhide's head say 'Good bye" to its body.

"Nice speech," Masamune joked, though he felt like vomiting right there. "You could be hell's gatekeeper." _Because that's were I'll send you!_ He was just about to grab his Dragon Claws when Kojuro came up next to him and stopped him, the helmet now gone.

"Masamune-sama, give the order to withdraw!" Masamune turned to him, not quite believing his ears. "With that many firearms trained on us, if we face them head-on, we'll be wiped out!" he stated, referring to the arquebus core still standing behind Mitsuhide,waiting for hisorder to shoot. Ignoring Masamune's annoyed huff, he continued. "As your Right Eye, I will share the shame with you." Mitsuhide cackled in glee. His hand shivering over the hilts of his Claw's for a moment, he growled in defeat.

"Damn it, sound the retreat." The soldiers did so, but with obvious reluctance and angry expressions. Many of them started leaving, uttering curses to the Oda faction.

"I suppose we'll hold fire," Mitsuhide chuckled. "It just doesn't seem…sporty." Masamune was still producing an rather impressive growl and his gaze alone would have been enough to kill the sick general thousand times over, if eyes had that kind of power. "Oh, I almost forgot!" Mitsuhide spoke up again, causing Masamune and Kojuro to go tense. "I've prepared a little souvenir for you. I would not want you to forget this little fight we had, after all. And it would be rude to refuse it since I have put so much work into it."

"We don't want it. Please keep it," Kojuro immediately answered, keeping Masamune, who was again about to charge at the man, at bay.

"Oh, but I was led to believe that this originally belonged to you. We… _borrowed_ it from you and now, we're returning it to its owner since we don't have a use for it anymore." Behind the arquebus core came some uneasiness up. Mitsuhide grinned. "You have my heartfelt thanks for allowing us to keep it." The arquebus core parted to reveal a large number of people carrying a long piece of cloth by holding onto the longer sides of it from both sides. On the cloth laid a dragon. The dragon from the Oda encampment. Eyes still closed, though in the sunlight one could see the dried streams of blood flowing down from them. They had most likely been gouged out. The slightly parted mouth revealed a missing tongue. The head alone was at least as long as Mitsuhide was tall. Its long body needed to be carried by more than twenty people on each side, legs dangling to the ground as well as the tip of its tail.

"BASTARD!" Masamune seethed and fought against Kojuro, who now had to put his entire bodyweight to use in order to keep Masamune from running into his death.

"Please don't do this, Masamune-sama! We must not act rashly now! Kaminari-sama needs us right now!" Then he turned to the soldiers, who had not yet moved to retreat. "What are you all waiting for?! Call as many men as you can back and secure Kaminari-sama!" The second he closed his mouth, shouts became loud, repeating his order and moments later, the carriers had been replaced as the soldiers hurriedly carried the dragon to their army, where they were immediately surrounded by the unoccupied soldiers, now acting as their guards. "Masamune-sama, we must retreat now! Kaminari-sama needs to be tended to!" Growling, with his gaze piercing Mitsuhide, most likely with the most horrific way to kill him in his mind, he grunted his unwilling agreement. They got back on their horses and led their army away from Nagashino, completely disregarding the broken Oichi still kneeling there with Nagamasa's corpse. Their only concern was making sure that Kaminari's transport was never unguarded from any side. This was in no way anything they might have imagined this battle to turn out to be like.

"Masamune-sama…" Kojuro murmured. He could only imagine what must be going through the Big Boss of Oushu right now. After all what Kaminari had done for him…

"Masamune-dono!" A voice called. Alarmed, the soldiers looked over their shoulders to see the intruder, though they kept their horses going. "Date Masamune-dono! It is far to Oushu! Come to Kai, you can rest there!" Yukimura called. Not wasting any time, Kojuro spurred his horse to ride next to Masamune, knowing he wouldn't go willingly all too soon.

"Masamune-sama, let us take the Takeda Clan's offer. We have many injured, not to mention Kaminari-sama." Masamune didn't respond. "Masamune-sama?" This was not like him…

Suddenly, Masamune's body swayed and he fell straight off the horse. At first, nobody even realized what had happened and the troop came to a sudden and confused halt when they did.

"Masamune-sama!" Jumping off his horse, Kojuro ran to Masamune who now laid flat on the ground, arms outstretched. The others were calling out to him as well, but Masamune was unconscious and didn't respond. Finally, Kojuro was at his side and was about to look what was wrong when he noticed something wet on his gloves as soon as he touched Masamune. He lifted his hand to see the entire palm of his hand bloodied. Masamune's blood.

At the Takeda residence, they found that the wound came from a bullet that had hit him in the gut. Masamune was placed in a large room with a expensive looking armor in it. His futon was in center and on Kojuro's order, the dragon was carried into the room as well, where she now rested, her body curled up to fit into the room. Masamune's helmet, swords and armor were placed at the head of his futon and the dragon's head was next to the items like it wanted to bar Masamune from the expansive armor's sight, which was sitting like there was someone in it and looked onto Masamune, who would appear to the armor upside down. Kojuro had taken the liberty of asking for a hot water and lots of cloth, which he used to clean the dragon himself. Now that it was free from the fresh and dried blood, its magnificent black scales and fur shone in the candlelight.

Kojuro, with nothing left to do to keep his head occupied had sat himself next to Masamune's bed.

"How did I not notice you've been struck by an arquebus?" He chastised himself. "I pled myself I could stop your fight with Akechi." He felt his frustration grow within him. Frustration for himself. "As your Right Eye, I should have seen it!" He was thrown out of his self-hatred as he heard a loud noise from just outside the shoji-screens. Stomping over, he threw them open, revealing Yoshinao Bunshichi, Magobei and Samenosuke looking back at him, clearly startled from being discovered.

"Masamune-sama will be fine. Kaminari-sama hasn't shown any signs of life, but she will eventually recover as well." Sighs of relief came forth from all four of them. They hadn't heard anything of their Big Boss or the dragon, so hearing this was a great relief. "Enough! Quit moping and make yourselves useful! Gather all our able-bodied men and get out there! Follow Takeda's example and tend to the injured no matter what family they claim!"

"H-Hai!" And they ran off. Kojuro watched them go as he noticed Shingen and Yukimura approaching from the other side than the one the retainers had taken off on. He let them inside the room so that they could see the amount of damage for themselves.

Once again sitting next to Masamune's futon, he bowed to the Takeda Clan's two most important members.

"For your hospitality, I must thank you."

"It seems he is no longer at death's door," Shingen commented, inspecting the injured man, arms crossed over his chest. "But he has lost quite a lot of blood, my people are preparing something to pour down his throat. It should help him. But I'm still concerned about that dragon…"

"Again, my thanks. And don't worry. I know for a fact that Kaminari-sama will survive." This time, Kojuro bowed even deeper than before.

"Right Eye of the Dragon, do you resent our use of Date's army as the spearhead in our attack?"

"We have always acted of our own accord," Kojuro stated, straightening himself. "From the start, our actions were unrelated. To yours and Uesugi's."

"There are generals who still wish to fight over land. And it is their hop that we ourselves fall as we defeat Oda." Standing up, Shingen added "However, there is one man… One who is not a general, who we have sent to speak to Mori and Chosokabe."

"Maeda Keiji…" Shingen nodded.

"With us allied at his back, he had planned to face Oda on his own. He had hoped to resolve the matter without bloodshed. A fascinating man. It's a shame he has squandered his talents for so long as a Vagabond."

"I assume he planned the opposite…" Kojuro said.

"Victory is pointless if it leaves us all completely spent. Time is short, but I would like to have Oda fully encircled, before we attempt this again."

"It will be most difficult to get Mori and Chosokabe to your side. Also, the idea of teaming up to defeat a common enemy is _not_ the way of the Date! But" Kojuro paused and took a deep breath, before he looked to his right, where Masamune was still unconscious. "Necessity knows no law." With Masamune and Kaminari and their conditions, a victory against Oda would be nigh impossible. But knowing Masamune, he would still go for it, to avenge Kaminari. Having received the answers they wanted, Shingen left the Right Eye to tend to the dragons of Oushu. Yukimura remained in the room, having some questions left.

"Is there something you need, Sanada Yukimura?" Startled from his musing how to best ask for what he wanted to know, he looked up at the Right Eye.

"Ah, well… I was curious about that dragon…" Yukimura further pronounced his curiosity by looking at said dragon.

"You mean Kaminari-sama."

"Yes. I would like to gain a deeper knowledge of this creature. I mean…just how did you get a real dragon to work for you?"

"It's not that she is working for us but more like that we are enjoying her favor for Masamune-sama."

"'She'? You are saying that this is a female? To think that they would torture a female dragon like this!"

"Masamune-sama will most certainly demand revenge for it. He and Kaminari-sama have known each other since he was little and she even saved his life more than once."

"Unbelievable…I never would have dreamed of a dragon going so far for a human!"

"That's true. Needless to say, Masamune-sama is deeply indebted to Kaminari-sama. He once told me that even if he worked his whole life toward that goal, he would never be able to repay her kindness. Seeing her beaten up like this after she got captured under his roof must have strengthened that feeling."

"I know this is rude of me to say, but…will she pull through? She seems pretty lifeless to me."

"Don't worry. As I said previously, Kaminari-sama won't die."

"Alright then… If I may ask one last question?"

"Go ahead."

"Why is she called 'Kaminari'?"

"That is a long story, truth be told. First off, her full name is Aoi Kaminari."

"She even has a family name? But why 'Blue Lightning'?"

"I'm afraid you will have to discuss this matter with Masamune-sama. After all, he was the one to name her such."

"Date-dono named her?!" Kojuro nodded his head.

"He did, but that is not my story to tell. You're after all still the enemy, even if we're going to be allies in Oda's destruction."

"You're right. Hence why I'm all the more grateful for receiving the answers you most graciously gave." Yukimura bowed to the Right Eye to show his respect, before he, too, left said Eye to his thoughts. All the while, Masamune stayed oblivious to what was happening around him as he was being held captive by a dream. Or rather a memory.

" _Come on, Kojuro! You gotta be faster than that!" Bontenmaru laughed. He and Kojuro were currently in a forest close to his family's estate. Katakura Kojuro had been appointed as his personal attendant only recently. The Clan hoped Kojuro would be able to put a stop to his wild nature. Little did they know that Kojuro practically doted on him and let him do as he pleased as long as it did not look too dangerous._

" _I'm right behind you, Bontenmaru-sama!" Kojuro called from not too far behind the little heir of the Date Clan. Bontenmaru's eyes widened as he realized just how close Kojuro was and sped up. He wouldn't let him win this one, no way!_

 _Suddenly, he lost his footing as something gave way under his feet and he fell down a hill through bushes and thicket. By the time he came to a halt at the bottom of it, his blue Hakama and white Kimono were all scratched up and dirty. He felt the familiar sting of scratches on his face and arms, too._

" _Chichi-ue and Kojuro will scold me again…" As he tried to get rid of at least some dirt, he spotted something glittering through the thicket. Curiosity getting the better of him, he pushed the branches aside to see more. His face literally lit up with amazement._

 _There was a giant lake shining in the sunlight and as he stepped closer, he could see just how crystal clear the water was. But the lake was far too deep to see the bottom of it, clear water or not._

" _Hu?" Strange, he could have sworn that was an eye he just saw in the depths of the lake. "Is someone in there?" He called out, though something in him knew that this place was far too serene to have been visited by humans frequently._

" _Who…are you?" To say Bontenmaru was startled when a silent voice answered him. It sounded female and echoed slightly and seemed to come from the depths of the lake._

" _My name is Bontenmaru," He introduced himself, though he immediately decided not to give away what family he came from. At least, not yet. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you. You see, I fell down the hill and then I saw something glittering and I just couldn't help it…" Amused chuckling kept him from brabbling on._

" _It's quite alright. I haven't had a visitor in ages."_

" _Do you live here? All alone?" Bontenmaru hesitated before he added "In the lake?"_

" _Yes, yes and yes. You see -Bontenmaru-kun, yes?- my circumstances don't normally allow me to live among other people."_

" _Are you ill? We have good doctors." The voice giggled again._

" _No, I'm not ill. I'm the picture of health, in fact. It's just that people are quick to suspect me of certain things and they usually end up trying to capture me or end my life."_

" _Eee? But you sound so nice! Nicer than those old men around Chichi-ue!"_

" _Thank you, Bontenmaru-kun. But people are just far too quick to distinguish monster and human."_

" _Do they think you're a monster? Why?"_

"… _Do you really wish to see?" The voice sounded sceptic, but at the same time it was filled with longing. Bontenmaru nodded._

" _I do!"_

" _Will you run home and tell your people of what you found here?"_

" _No! You're so nice, I don't want anyone to hurt you!" It was silent for a few heartbeats long._

" _You can't even imagine what those words mean to me." And then, the water grew uneasy, the water threw up mud, making it impossible to see through. A big bulge then grew as something big emerged and the water flew down from it. Bontenmaru's mouth was in a wide 'o' shape as the water revealed the head of a pitch-black dragon. Though he could only see the head, he could already tell that the dragon was only half as big as he would have expected a dragon to be like at most. The dragon lowered its head to be closer to him. Bontenmaru then realized that the head wasn't all that much bigger than his 7-years old body was tall, but the mythical creature would have no problem swallowing him whole. But as he looked up to the dragon's azure blue eyes, he somehow couldn't make himself believe that the dragon would try anything like that. Finding his courage, he spoke up._

" _You're a dragon! That's so cool!" Standing on his tiptoes, he stretched out his hands, trying to touch the dragon._

" _You're not afraid of me?" She asked as her head came further down to let him pet her muzzle._

" _I was startled at first, but" He smiled up at her. "You really seem too nice to hurt anyone!" Her eyes widened for a moment before she closed them and remained silent for a while._

" _I believe you should go home now. I can sense your friend looking for you."_

" _Oh no, Kojuro is going to be so mad!" Bontenmaru fretted. The corners of the dragon's moth lifted in what was most likely supposed to be a smile._

" _In that case, it would do no good for you to be seen to scratched up, right? Hold still for a moment." She further lowered her head until her snout was gently brushing his head, her breath ruffling through his hair, causing him to giggle at the ticklish sensation. He then felt like he was bathed in sunlight as warmth filled him, but unlike the sun's rays, this sensation spread from the inside out, making him want to bask in it forever. But all too soon it was over as the dragon lifted its head again. Bontenmaru opened his eyes -when had he closed them?- and reached up like he wanted her to continue what she just did. It was then that he noticed that the numerous wounds on his arms were gone. Instead of going to the dragon's muzzle, his hands changed course to touch his own face. No stings, no hurt. Astonished, he looked up to the dragon's gentle blue eyes._

" _Did…did you heal me?"_

" _Yes. Now go, before your friend assumes the worst." Remembering Kojuro, he hurriedly turned on his heel and ran back to where he could already hear the faint calls of Kojuro looking for him. But halfway across the meadow he paused in his run and looked over his shoulder to the dragon, who was already swimming back to the middle of the lake to dive back into its depths. Hesitating for only a second, he called out to the dragon._

" _I'll come back soon, so be ready to tell me about yourself, okay?!" As if caught off guard, like she didn't expect him to stop and call out to her like that, she turned her head in his direction with slightly widened eyes. After a few moments she bobbed her head up and down, before she really did dive back into the lake._

" _Bontenmaru-sama, where have you been all this time?!" Kojuro demanded to know as he looked the boy up and down to make sure he was unhurt, which he miraculously was, despite his torn up clothing._

" _Sorry, Kojuro. I lost my footing and fell down a hill. Then I kinda got lost, I guess," Bontenmaru said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head with one hand. Kojuro smiled and ruffled through the boy's hair._

" _As long as you're not injured, it's fine." Bontenmaru grinned._

* * *

I hope this chapter was more interesting than the last three. I sure had a lot of fun with the last bit of it. ^^ I had actually planned to put the entire flashback scene in this chapter until I realized just how long it is. ^^'

I know you probably have questions, but they will all be answered very soon, I promise!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello, everyone! Another chapter, yay! And don't worry, this chapter is an original by me. The only thing you could trace back to the anime's plot is the very last sentence. ^^

Thank you to **melovebunnies** for following and **Moonlight puppet** for following and favoriting!^^

Also thank you to all the others out there reading this! Thank you for your continued interest! R&R ;)

Disclaimer: Don't own the animes, nor their plot. I do own this chapter, though.

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Memories 2**

 _The next day, Bontenmaru had snuck away from his studies once again, but this time for a different reason than usual. Hiding in some bushes, he did a quick look-around to make sure nobody was following him, before he left his hiding place in favor for another bush a couple of feet away, where he repeated the scouting. He had to suppress a giggle since this made him feel like a ninja, rather than the samurai his parents wanted him to be._

 _He continued to hide and scout until he was sure he was out of the estate reach, so that he could dash forward and disappear into the forest. It took some time until he found the lake again, though, since he had found it by accident the first time. He eventually managed to track the way he had run off to when Kojuro was chasing him up until to the point where he had slipped. Though this time, he got to the bottom of the hill without injuries, just some dirt clanging to him. He sat down at the shore of the lake and scooped some water with his hands to get rid of the dirt in his face. When he looked up again, the dragon was towering over him._

" _UAAH!" Bontenmaru cried out, falling on his butt from his crouching position. The dragon giggled._

" _I see you kept your word, Bontenmaru-kun."_

" _Of course I did!" Bontenmaru yelled, making himself a bit more comfortable on the ground. "Are you going to stick to your promise of telling me about yourself?"_

" _But I don't think I'm as interesting as you seem to believe."_

" _Then how about this, I'm going to ask you questions about you and you answer those questions. That way, you can avoid telling me anything that would be boring to me." The dragon giggled amused._

" _Alright, go ahead."_

" _First off, you never gave me your name. I only realized it on my way home."_

" _Well, that's because I don't think I have one." Bontenmaru frowned in thought._

" _How is that even possible? Either you have a name or you don't."_

" _You see, I was not always a dragon. Until almost a century ago, I used to be a normal human woman. But unfortunately, I died fighting a great evil over a powerful object, a jewel to be exact. My soul was bound to the jewel and as the jewel stayed on this plane of existence, so did I." She smiled upon seeing Bontenmaru's shocked expression. "The villagers build a shrine to worship the jewel, hoping it would stay pure that way since it would be disastrous if it didn't. The shrine was built on an small island in the middle of a large lake. Not this one," she added as she saw him look over the lake's surface, trying to find the shrine. "Since the shrine was built there, later generations started to believe that the shrine was there in honor of a dragon living in the lake and that the jewel was a holy object under his protection. That belief made me to what you see, though I was much smaller back then. Since I'm an entirely new creature, I'm not sure if it would be befitting of me to use my old name. Even more so since my body was buried under that name."_

" _I see… May I know what your old name was?"_

" _Kagome. Like the game." Deep in thought, Bontenmaru lifted an hand to his chin._

"' _Caged Bird'… That really is no name for a dragon… But I can't come up with a cool name so fast…" Her eyes grew wide._

" _You want to give me a name?" Torn from his thoughts, the boy looked up._

" _Of course I do! I need something to call you by, after all!" Bontenmaru stated like it was the most natural thing. Her wide eyes went back to their original form with a soft nuance in their depths. "But back to you, why did you even leave that place? Sounds like you had it pretty good."_

" _Yes, the people were kind to me and I feel awful for leaving them like that." She closed her eyes and her head lowered a bit in what Bontenmaru interpreted to be an ashamed gesture. "But I just couldn't stay. The land had been ingulfed in war. I hate war and since I could do nothing without being caught, I fled to the northern lands."_

" _Wow… And you have been alone all this time?"_

" _I did sometimes interact with humans. I healed them or helped them otherwise, though those were far in between since I can take on human form, but only for an extended amount of time. Back then, I couldn't even last a day," she admitted sheepishly._

" _That's so cool! Can you show me your human form?" Bontenmaru asked excited. She chuckled._

" _Maybe another time. I'm rather tired right now, you see?"_

" _Oh… Am I being a disturbance?"_

" _No, you're not. I just haven't had anyone to talk to in a long time, so I guess I'm not really used to it anymore. Especially with such energetic children," she smiled. Bontenmaru immediately brightened back up._

 _He visited her often from then on, almost everyday. He was happy to have found a friend, who saw eye-to-eye with him. After some time he even brought a bokken with him and showed her his progress with the sword. She even had surprisingly good advice how to improve his form even further._

 _During their first meetings she kept most of her body submerged, only her head and some neck being out of the water. Later, she revealed to him, that there were nasty creatures in the area which she fought off, but she needed just as long to heal as a regular human. Not wishing to scare him, she had hid her body from sight._

" _That's not good, you should treat your wounds!" Bontenmaru argued._

" _Well, being a dragon, I can't just go buy some bandages or gather some herbs, can I?"_

" _Then I'll do it for you!" And sure enough, the very next day, he brought tons of bandages with him and after she explained what the herbs she needed to look like and what he was to do with them, he did as she told him. When she inspected his work, she would sometimes point some plants out to him that were very similar to the ones she needed, but unfortunately poisonous. But each time she pointed out his wrongs, he grew more determined. In the end, she was very pleased with Bontenmaru's work and let him apply the paste to her wounds, before he bandaged them. Fortunately, she was still thin enough for him to be able to wrap both arms fully around her. After finding out that she barely ever ate, he grew angry again, followed by him bringing her food the next day. Lots of fish and rice, to be exact. He would then make a fire and roast the fish, while he found some larger rocks. With her help he was able to set them up so that two rocks of roughly the same size held up a big bowl of stone the dragon had carved out. In that bowl, they prepared rice. She thanked him for the food and complimented him for the good work._

 _The following months, Bontenmaru could be seen going through the books of the healers at the mansion or 'playing' around in the kitchen, as they put it. But, in truth, him playing in the kitchen was him learning more about cooking or watching the cooks work. As a result, the food he made for his new best friend grew to be more and more complicated dishes and did not consist of just rice and fish. And if he had to be honest, he rather liked taking care of his friend like this. Though he still had no name for her…_

 _That thought crossed his mind as he was on is way back home, an empty sack, previously filled with lots of rice, hung from his shoulder._

Maybe I should ask around a bit. But the people might get suspicious… I could just say that my little brother has picked up a pet, but they would figure out the truth soon enough.

" _Bontenmaru-sama…!" A dangerous, but unfortunately familiar growl resonated. Startled and somewhat scared, Bontenmaru looked up to his attendant, Katakura Kojuro, with a fierce scowl bearing down at him. "Would you mind explaining to me where you keep sneaking away to?"_

" _K-Kojuro…I…"_

" _Just what were you thinking?! What if something had happened to you?! You are the next leader of the Date!"_

" _I know that!" Bontenmaru yelled back. Kojuro found his words stuck in his throat. This was the first time the little heir had shown such determination. "I know that it is dangerous, but I can't tell you. I promised I wouldn't!"_

" _You've been meeting someone?"_

" _Yes! And she is a dear friend of mine now! I forbid you to hurt my friend!" And with that Bontenmaru brushed past the shocked man._

 _Their happy days continued like this for some years, in which the dragon grew at a surprising pace, something that was blamed on the good care she received from Bontenmaru, making him blush whenever she brought it up. The meadow had grown considerably more packed as Bontenmaru had basically built his own kitchen with the dragon's help, together with a roof consisting of giant leaves his friend had found. There were also a lot of books scattered around, filled with nothing but his own notes and drawings of plants and a few pressed samples of them, more specifically herbs._

 _But those notes proved futile when he was one day found in his bed with an heavy fever and occasionally vomit. The healers identified it as smallpox. The estate was in an uproar, though nobody came to visit him aside from the healer, making his occasional check up on him, and Kojuro, who never once left his side. It was contagious, after all, and nobody wanted to catch it._

 _Eventually, his skin around his right eye started growing blasters. Soon after, he lost sight in his eye._

" _Kojuro…" Bontenmaru one day called out, laying on his futon and drilling a hole into the ceiling with his glare._

" _I'm here."_

" _Of course you're there. You were always there…" He trailed off. Kojuro remained silent. "Cut it out." Now, the man blinked, not really knowing what he meant._

" _Bontenmaru-sama-…"_

" _My right eye, cut it out," Bontenmaru demanded._

" _But I couldn't possibly-…!" Kojuro wanted to argue, but Bontenmaru interrupted him._

" _I can't even see with it anymore, so what's the point of keeping it?! Besides, if you do it now, there is a chance it won't be able to spread much further!"_

" _Still…"_

" _Kojuro, that is an order. Do as I say!" Keeping his gaze locked on the young master, who still had yet to look at him, he wavered for a moment, until…_

" _As you wish."_

 _A few hours later, the healer left the room, his clothing bloodied, though by far not as much as the bedding or the clothes of both the young master and his attendant, who helped him to careful clean himself and get dressed, the water basket making one believe there was blood in it instead of water. The right eye of the young master was covered by a bloodied bandage, going around his head. He had only been 9 at the time._

 _From then on, he had to endure the haunting the people at the estate would put him through. Talking behind his back how he couldn't possibly become the next leader now and how much better his little brother, Kojiro, would do compared to him. He once caught one of his father's retainers saying that, challenged him to a battle and beat him to a pulp with his improved swordsmanship, in which he had started to train with two swords. But being humiliated like that only led to the loser complaining to Bontenmaru's father, Date Terumune, about how unruly the young heir was behaving, lacking the air and nature of a successful leader in any aspect. His father scolded him, but he didn't pay attention to it. His thoughts were with his dragon friend._

 _He hadn't seen her ever since he lost his eye. On one side, he just couldn't bring up the courage to face her like this, feeling weak for letting an illness get the better of him. But on the other hand were also his friend's injuries. He wasn't stupid. He knew they increased in number and size with each day he visited. The first few visits, there hadn't been any injury, he was sure of it. Her saying she didn't want him to see them was just an excuse. Something attacked her more and more ferociously and he could feel that it was because of him. He had wanted to become stronger to defend her, he wanted to be strong like her and then some._

 _When dismissed from his scolding, he headed to his rooms, planning to sit on the porch outside and to get lost in his thoughts for a bit._

" _Bontenmaru-sama!" He hadn't even made it to his quarters before Kojuro came up to him. "Your honorable mother, Yoshihime-sama, has requested your presence in her quarters." He sighed. He liked his mother, but he would've really preferred to be alone right now._

" _Alright. I'll be there immediately."_

" _Do you want me to accompany you? To be frank, it would soothe my worries to know you close to me. The mansion has grown untrustworthy." Looking over his shoulder with his good eye, he mustered him incredulously._

" _Do what you want." Though in his head he thought_ Please do. _And like that he found himself in his mother's quarters, his legs tucked under him as he sat there facing her. Kojuro was outside in the corridor._

" _You've summoned me, Haha-ue?"_

" _My dear Bontenmaru, it's been so long since I've seen you!" She hadn't looked at him a single time since he entered, hiding herself behind a blind made of bamboo with small slits, only enabling him to see her silhouette. "You kept sneaking away and then you fell ill…"_

" _Is there any particular reason for you summoning me here?" He didn't like it here. As a child, he would always run to his mother when something happened since his father was always busy, but this time, he couldn't think of any place that could possibly make him less comfortable._

" _Now, now, that is_ no _way to treat your mother," she scolded him. "I simply thought it would be nice to have some dinner together, just the two of us." As if they had been waiting for her to say that, two servants came in, carrying trays with food. One was set down in front of him, the other in front of Yoshihime. It was nothing special, just a bowl of rice, some fish and a side dish. The servants left again._

 _His mother had already picked up her bowl, which held much richer food as far as he could see. There were more bowls. His nose, already improving to make up for the loss in sight, told him that there was not just rice and fish in the room._

" _What is wrong? Do eat. You must be famished from all the time you spent recovering." He did as she 'asked' him to do. Picking up the chopsticks, he lifted some rice to smell it first. All his training in cooking had resulted in him being slightly more critical where his food was concerned. Even more so, when someone else had something clearly more lavish to eat. But he found the smell of the rice to be quite delectable, so he put it into his mouth. Even many years later, he wouldn't be sure if doing so was a good or bad decision. For as soon as he swallowed his food, pain was coursing through his entire body. The rice bowl cluttered to the floor as he collapsed, gasping for air. Twisting to face his mother, he found her still hiding behind the blinds, not moving an inch._

" _Do me a favor and die a painless death, Bontenmaru. Don't worry, your brother, Kojiro, will take good care of this land." He couldn't believe it. His own mother…had poisoned him!_

" _Kojuro!" He called, his voice already hoarse with strain. Not a second later did Kojuro burst in, causing Yoshihime to gasp, obviously she hadn't expected Kojuro to be there. He took in the scene in a matter of seconds. The dishes strewn across the floor and…_

" _Bontenmaru-sama!" He was there in a heartbeat, scooped the heavily breathing Bontenmaru up and exited the scene of crime, but not without casting a fierce glare at the silhouette behind the blinds. Then, he made a run, trying to find a healer. "I'll get you to the healers, just hold on!"_

" _No… Not…the healers…" Kojuro halted immediately._

" _But you might die if we don't do something!" Where else could they get medicinal help? His eyes widened._

"Bontenmaru-sama, where have you been all this time?!"

"Sorry, Kojuro. I lost my footing and fell down a hill. Then I kinda got lost, I guess."

"As long as you're not injured, it's fine."

"You've been meeting someone?"

"Yes! And she is a dear friend of mine now! I forbid you to hurt my friend!"

 _That was it! He had always wondered why the young master had been without a single scratch back then. That friend of his must have medicinal knowledge!_

 _He took off again, ran out of the house and into the woods. But he had no idea where to start looking. The forest was huge and his time left to save Bontenmaru was not in any way long enough to allow him to comb it all through._

" _I KNOW YOU'RE THERE! IF YOU'RE BONTENMARU-SAMA'S FRIEND; THEN COME OUT AND HELP HIM OR HE'LL DIE!" His words echoed in the depths of the forest a couple of times as Kojuro stood panting._

" _I'm here. Follow my voice." Without even questioning what he was hearing, he did as the voice told him. The voice gave him pointers where to go or told him when he was heading in the wrong direction. Eventually, he broke through the thicket and was faced with a dragon, its body half out of the water with its claws gripping the earth underneath for support and its head craned to look down at him._

" _Are you the one Bontenmaru-sama sneaked off to meet for?" The dragon nodded, before her eyes focused on his burden in his arms._

" _What is wrong?"_

" _He was poisoned and he forbid me to bring him to the healers. Please tell me you can save him!" She lowered her head. His first instinctual thought was to run, but he kept his ground. He could clearly see the dragon's nostrils go wide as she took in their scent, before she retracted her head._

" _This poison is not one to be healed by any plants I know. And my healing powers only speed up the natural process of the body's own healing capabilities." Kojuro watched as the child in his arms groaned in pain._

" _So there is nothing we can do…?"_

" _There is one way to heal him. And if we can give him the antidote depends on you."_

" _W-What do you mean?" He asked, looking up startled._

" _Since long ago, the eyes of a dragon are said to grant immortality. What they truly do, is fighting off any issues the body, which swallowed the eye, has. In case of an otherwise healthy person, that includes old age. In other words, it is an cure-all." Kojuro couldn't help the nostalgic feeling as he remembered how Bontenmaru had ordered him to cut out his eye. "I will need you to cut out one of my eyes. I will take care of the rest. For that I will take on my human form." Kojuro nodded in understanding as he shrugged his jacket off to lay his young master on it. While he did so, he could make out an bright light from his peripheral version._

 _When he got up again, there stood a young woman with pale skin and hair so black as the scales and the mane she had previously donned. Her eyes had kept their blue brightness with their slitted pupils. She wore a simple white yukata, most like in preparation of what was to come. She was of average height for a woman, about a head shorter than him. She lifted her arm and pointed with her index finger to a little sort of kitchen he hadn't noticed before._

" _There should be a dagger somewhere. Also, bring me a mortar, water and some honey." He was fast to find them. Who knew how much time they had left… When he came back, he found her knelling next to the still trashing Bontenmaru, one of her hands stroking his cheek, lightly brushing against the bandage. She faced him again and nodded when she saw the items in his hands. She turned her body to him and raised her head to him. His gaze turned to a piece of cloth balled in her hand that had not been occupied with stroking his master. He recognized it to be a piece she had ripped from her yukata. She closed her right eye, keeping the left one open. He understood._

" _AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" She screamed as he began gouging her eye out, though her screams became muffled, when she shoved the piece of cloth into her mouth. He admired the woman's administration of control and her tolerance for the pain she must be experiencing. Her nails were digging into the ground, likely to keep her hands from lashing out at him. He could see scales form on her arms and her hands twisting into claws-_

 _"GAAAHH!" Fast as lightning, one of her claws had moved past her control and lashed out at him, leaving a deep wound going from the left side of his jaw upwards to dangerously point at his left eye. Blood painted the earth around them even more scarlet than before. Not to mention their clothes._

 _Soon, it was over and the eyeball rolled into the mortar he had filled with the water. Where it used to be now streamed a river of blood down her face despite her closing the eye. Her white yukata was already soaked with it._

 _She took the mortar from his hand and used the pestle to smash the eye and to mix it with the water. She then poured some honey into the sickly looking mix and then bent down to pick up Bontenmaru with her free arm. Kojuro had knelt down on Bontenmaru's other side to watch her every move when she opened the boy's mouth and lifted the concoction to his lips. His head now leaned on her shoulder as her now free hand went around his neck, massaging it to activate his swallowing reflexes._

 _A she drank his trashing grew considerably weaker and his strained face lost its tenseness, making it appear as though he was simply sleeping, his chest steadily rising and falling at a calm pace. When he finished it she laid him back down. Looking up, she found Kojuro now kneeling a bit further away than just a few minutes ago, bowing to her so far his forehead pressed down on the back of his hands._

" _I cannot even start to express my gratitude for what you have done for us."_

" _If you want to thank me, then do it in my face," she demanded. Immediately, he obeyed and sat up. "That's better. I can't trust people who don't have the guts to look me in the face." Her now single eye trailed down to the boy only to shot back up again to stare at his face, or more accurately the wound she had caused. "What happened?"_

" _He fell ill with small pox a several days earlier. As a result, he lost sight in his right eye. He ordered me to cut it out to keep it from spreading any further," he explained, closing his eyes as if ashamed._

 _"Although I didn't ask for that information, it must have been horrible. What I meant was, did I accidently hit you?" She lifted a hand to trace the wound._

 _"Do not concern yourself with this. It is a price I paid gladly." She fell silent for a while._

" _And the poison?"_

" _His mother. Most likely to make his younger brother the next head of the family."_

" _By his own family…" She closed her eye, her face giving away the pain she felt as dark clouds gathered over her head. She got to her feet, a bit unsteady at first, but quickly regaining her balance. But Kojuro had already stood up in an attempt to help her._

" _You should let me treat your wound. You have lost a lot of blood." She smiled at him._

" _No, don't worry over me. If I could die of something as simple as bloodloss, then I wouldn't even be here anymore. You should take Bontenmaru-kun back home and not ever leave his side. There will be a thunderstorm coming about us soon and I'd prefer knowing you two somewhere safe."_

" _But I owe you for saving Bontenmaru-sama's life…!" Kojuro tried to protest._

 _"I told you, I can't die over something like this. Immortality isn't so easy to trick, after all," she grinned sadly._

"… _Alright. But may I at least know your name?"_

" _Hehe… You'll have to ask Bontenmaru-kun when he wakes up, I'm afraid. He wanted to give me one since I don't have one."_

 _In the end, Kojuro followed her advice and carried his master back home, still wrapped up in his jacket. The clouds over his head were growing darker by the second. Kojuro wondered if it was the she-dragon causing it. Dragons were considered as gods of the weather after all._

 _Getting back home, he made sure to scare off anyone and everyone from around Bontenmaru's room where he laid him down in his futon and sat down in front of it._

 _Some time passed as Kojuro waited for Bontenmaru to wake up, when he noticed the increasing thunder outside. They were starting to shake the entire house! He stood up and opened the shoji screen facing the garden. The clouds covering the sky were almost black and the rain fell almost horizontal to the ground due to the strong winds. Lightning shot through the sky, bright, clear and dangerously close._

 _It was most likely due to the thunder that Kojuro did not notice Bontenmaru awakening and coming up behind him to see the cause of the noise, until the young boy pulled at his sleeve. Looking over his shoulder, he felt all his restrictions on his emotions loosen as his relief was clearly distinguishable._

" _Bontenmaru-sama! I'm so glad you're alri-…" He interrupted himself, now with a shocked expression as he stared into his master's eye. Its formerly brown color was now a steel grey, bordering to a light blue._

" _Is something wrong, Kojuro?" Bringing himself out of his thought, he shook his head._

" _Nothing that can't wait a bit."_

" _Alright then. What's with this thunderstorm?" He stepped out of his room, despite Kojuro's warning words and attempts to pull him back in and gazed up at the sky. Coming up to the boy's left, Kojuro could only find fascination there as the lightning lit up his face. It was then that he saw Bontenmaru's eyes widen._

" _What is that?" He asked pointing up into the sky. Following his gaze, Kojuro needed a bit time (and another bolt of lightning) to find what Bontenmaru meant. Something seemed to reflect the light of the lightning bolts and it moved through the storm like it was nothing. His eyes now widened as well as the realization came accompanied with another 'thunder' which he could now identify as an enraged cry of a beast._

 _Looking back down, he was shocked to see a trail of tears run down Bontenmaru's cheek as the boy smiled up at the heavens._

" _Aoi…Kaminari," he whispered, barely understandable in the storm._

 _The next day held several surprises for the Date household. Yoshihime had been found dead in her chambers and no one knew who it might have been or what she even died of._

 _And in all that panic, Bontenmaru had gone to the tailor to demand some new clothes, which where quickly done. When he stepped in front of Kojuro like that, he was slightly proud of himself. Kojuro was completely caught off guard with the change of style._

 _Bontenmaru had kept to his blue hakama and white kimono, but his kimono now had a yellow neckline and had a slit starting at the crook of the elbow and going all the way to the hem of the sleeve, revealing arm protectors underneath, blue and yellow in color. His hakama had a yellow lightning pattern leading to the front and going over his knees. Around his neck was a deep sea blue scarf with an very similar, eccentric pattern, also in yellow. His eye was covered by a clean, white bandage, tied together at the back of his head._

" _What do you think, Kojuro? Am I looking cool or what?" Bontenmaru grinned. Kojuro had shown him the change of his eye color in a mirror during the thunderstorm. When he had asked how that was even possible, Kojuro admitted that he had brought him to the she-dragon, though he refused to tell what it was she used to heal him. Since his eye was so similar to his friends' eyes, he thought he might as well undergo a complete change._

" _It is something different, that is for sure," Kojuro stated hesitantly. Bontenmaru grinned confidently._

" _Kojuro, I've decided that I'll become a dragon myself. One that protects what he claims with every fiber of his being." His grin softened to a smile. "Will you stay by my side till then?" Kojuro returned the smile and bowed deeply._

" _You need not even ask." The corners of Bontenmaru's lips lifted even further._

" _Halt! Who goes there?! Identify yourself!" Startled, both looked up, trying to locate the noise and what was causing._

" _Sounds like the guards at the gate are having some issues." Bontenmaru didn't respond. Instead, he stormed off into the direction the noise was coming from, Kojuro once again hot on his heels. When they got to the gate, they found a group of soldiers ganged together around what a appeared to be just one person and they were yelling at them like their life depended on being the loudest out of them all._

" _What is going on?" Bontenmaru demanded to know, Kojuro proudly smiling behind him as he started to take over the rule of the head of the household. The soldiers finally shut down their annoying little mouths and turned to him, successfully parting to make way for him, thusly revealing the person they were probably either scaring shitless or annoying the crap out of._

 _It was a woman with pitch-black hair, gleaming blue in the sunlight. She was dressed in a simple, azure blue kimono with a pale green obi. She had equally azure eyes, or rather,_ one _equally azure eye as her left eye was hidden under a white bandage not unlike Bontenmaru's. She was smiling at him and bowed to him to show the proper respect._

" _This woman just went up to the gate and demanded entrance! She refuses to give us a name or her purpose here-…"_

" _Her name is Aoi Kaminari. She is an acquaintance of mine. That's all you need to know," Bontenmaru stated, glaring at the soldiers who immediately scampered away from her. Letting his gaze wander over to her, he recognized her shocked expression and smiled, making her return it with understanding. She finally had a name again._

 _No one ever told him of the miraculous medicine that was used to heal him, but Bontenmaru was able to put two and two together. Kaminari's missing eye paired with a legend saying that the eye of a dragon would grant eternal life made him confront her about it later. She closed her eye in defeat and nodded. When he asked why she would go to such lengths, letting someone whom she did not know in the least cut out her eye._

" _But I couldn't let you die. You were the first person in what felt like forever that talked to me. You weren't even afraid of me." She smiled in a reassuring manner. "And besides, it will grow back over time."_

 _And just like that, days went by as normality started to return to the mansion. Well, at least as much as it could with a dragon in its confines. Bontenmaru grew engrossed with his training, either sparring with Kojuro or swinging his bokken around by himself._

" _Bontenmaru-kun, don't you think you've trained enough?" Bontenmaru turned to Kaminari, standing on the porch that went around the estate, watching him worriedly. He focused on his sword strikes again._

" _If I slack off, they'll think I can't take my position seriously. They'll believe me to be a weak, undeserving son of their lord. I'm merely the second option to choose, now. If at all." His face adopted a deep scowl. "I'll prove to them all that I'm the only one who can unite Oushu and all of Japan."_

" _You don't need to prove yourself. There are already many soldiers and civilians who admire your devotion to your people. If the advisors of your father don't trust you, you can't trust them in turn, so when you become the next head you can simply replace them with people you can entrust your back to." The swings paused, though his face stayed turned away from her._

" _Do you trust me?" The woman's eye widened in surprise._

" _Hu?"_

" _Do you trust me? Would you leave the future of this domain to me?"_

" _Of course! I have seen that you're not just the reckless, weak boy the council likes to portray you as. You are caring and thoughtful to a fault and you always take the well-being of you subordinates into consideration!" That was true. Whenever the soldiers returned from a battle, he would help them recovering, especially the stubborn ones as he had learned to do whenever he had taken care of Kaminari's wounds._

" _Then can I make a request? I know I have already received more favors from you than I would ever be able to pay back…but I need to ask this of you." Now he faced her fully, looking straight into her eye, as if he was trying to find something there. "Please stay by my side. Tomorrow and the day after that, next year and the ones after that… I want to show you the world I will create thanks to all your efforts. I want to prove to you that I am grateful for you saving me," he grinned at her. The woman smiled kindly, touched by his words._

" _I will stay by your side. Now and ever." She copied his grin before continuing. "I mean what would happen to this beautiful mansion without the touch of a woman? I won't have the Date mansion be a laughing stock for other generals."_

 _They both laughed at that. Bontenmaru because of the lifted burden on his shoulder and the woman out of relief that her little lord had regained his happy self._

 _Improving in his training, he would more often than not try his hand at wielding several swords at once. He had already learned how to wield one sword in each hand, but he grew increasingly interested in wielding two swords in_ one _hand, holding the hilt between his fingers. Once he had mastered that, he took one more sword since there was still room for one in each hand, making it six swords._

" _The way he fights looks like a beast lashing out at its prey with its claws!" The soldiers would often say from there on out, making Bontenmaru grin whenever he overheard them say that. He would only see his younger brother when he was training and his brother happened to be outside playing or training himself. He also rarely talked to him, much preferring the company of Kojuro and Kaminari, who by this point had taken over the entire healer compartment. She also worked in the kitchen, which made it much easier for him to sneak in and cook every now and then to thank Kaminari._

 _The people at the estate still held some lingering suspicion against her due to the unknown circumstance of her missing eye, but since the rightful heir of the estate favored her, there wasn't much they could do. Which, unfortunately, did not mean they did nothing. There were times she would be unable to find certain ingredients or books, or times where someone would trip her in the hallway. Neither Bontenmaru nor Kojuro liked it, but since they did not know who was behind it, they couldn't do anything. Until one day, when Kaminari collapsed, wheezing and vomiting nonstop, throwing the estate into chaos once again._

 _Not trusting any of the healers still left in the mansion, Bontenmaru stayed with Kaminari, tending to her to the best of his abilities, using the notes he had written as a kid, brought from the meadow after Kaminari had settled into her new home. Knowing that it could only be poison that made her sick, he made sure to make her drink as much as possible to dilute the poison in her system. He knew she would not die, but still... Kaminari had once told him that, already having died once and turning into a sacred beast, she had grown immune to sickness and disease. And since she had been unable to smell it, it must have been the same poison that had nearly taken_ him.

 _The first likely culprit would have been his mother, having shown no qualms to even kill her own son, but that option was off the table. She had been dead for quite some time now, after all._

 _He gritted his teeth as he wrung out the soaked cloth to wash her face from the sweat. When he caught whoever was responsible for this, he would make them pay dearly!_

 _Hearing some noise just outside the door, he walked over with his bokken in his hand and ripped it open, making it slam against the frame. Outside there stood four young soldiers with some more standing behind them in the garden or to the sides on the porch, now all with a startled expression on their face._

" _What the hell are you doing here?" Bontenmaru asked confused. The soldiers now all looked really embarrassed._

" _Well," one of them with a dark tan started. "We kinda wanted to offer our help in whatever way possible. We're all new here and we feel like we owe it to you and Kaminari-sama for taking such good care of us while we were injured." The rest of them nodded. Bontenmaru's stance relaxed._

" _What is your name?" Surprised the man looked up._

" _It's Oniniwa Yoshinao."_

"' _Oni', hu?" He grinned. "I like that. Alright then. I want you guys to keep watch for any suspicious people around the estate while you're performing your duties. Don't act out of the norm in any case, immediately report to me if you find something."_

" _HAI!" And off they went. Bontenmaru watched them go as Kojuro rounded the corner from the other side._

" _You are going to be a great commander in the future, Bontenmaru-sama."_

" _You think so?" he asked absentmindedly._

 _It was thanks to everyone's efforts that, one day, Kojuro raced to Kojiro's room and threw the shoji screen open and just gaped. There, in the middle of the room stood Bontenmaru with his back to him, his clothing smeared with blood and a real sword in his hand just as bloody. To his feet lie his brother, Kojiro, completely motionless._

" _I'd been hoping we would be able to live peacefully, maybe next time," Bontenmaru mumbled._

" _Bontenmaru-sama…" Startled, Bontenmaru turned to look at him._

" _Oh, you're there, Kojuro." He turned to stare down at his brother. "I didn't have a choice. He was behind the poisoning of Kaminari. I'll have to see to it that the cooks and healers get fired eventually." He now completely turned to his long time friend and held his gaze confidently. "I will inherit this Clan without fail and make something new of it." And that was how he came to be branded as a cruel and ruthless Daimyo later on. After getting his revenge, he dedicated his time to nursing Kaminari back to health, getting Yoshinao or one of the others for help every once in a while._

 _On his 13_ _th_ _birthday, he was given the name 'Masamune' to symbolize his status as a grown man. He cooked a feast up to celebrate it with his most trusted people, Kojuro, Yoshinao, the other three men who had been with Yoshinao back then -Samenosuke, Magobei and Bunshichi- and especially Kaminari. He actually couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun, when everything was just fine. The very next day, however, Kaminari was gone without a trace._

Masamune awoke with a start, drenched in his sweat.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello, you all! Next chapter is out, this time much shorter again. ^^'

 **Important Note:** My computer has been away to get some repairs for some time now and up until now I've been able to access the chapters I had already done, but for some reason, starting with the seventh chapter, all have vanished. I don't know whether or not this is just my substitute device (samsung tablet) is screwing up since it seems to despise the program I prefer to use or if it was actually deleted. In any case, I will have to write them again to keep up with my upload schedule at least somewhat. If I take longer to update than usual, then now you know why.

Thank you to **maroaxyd02** for the favorite, and to **HimeGee17** for following. Combined with the more than 500 views this story has so far, you are all the biggest inspiration!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Sengoku Basara and Inuyasha. I merely play with them.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Ransom**

Meanwhile, Kojuro was outside in the Takeda mansion's garden, swinging his sword to have something to do, but the image of Masamune inside the rain of bullets returned repeatedly.

"Masamune-sama…" They were in the worst possible situation. Both Masamune and Kaminari were knocked out and bedridden. "I am your Right Eye and I was able neither to stop you nor protect you," he stated, slowly raising his sword for the next strike. "For I hold your wishes to be of greatest import." He slashed three times, making the leaves of a nearby tree fall of and cutting a stone lantern cleanly. His eyes widened as he came to a realization. "Perhaps that is not the wisest course. Perhaps I'm releasing you to an early grave." He heard the Young Cub coming up behind him, but did not turn until he was right behind him. He had nothing to fear from him, after all.

"Katakura-dono."

"A few moments ago, I thought I heard a strange noise from the west."

"As did I. Members of my ninja core should be heading there to investigate by now."

"I see," Kojuro simply said and sheathed his sword.

"You have my sympathies," Yukimura stated before the sword was even fully sheathed. "If it had been Oyakata-sama who had suffered the same before my eyes… There were countless firearms on that battlefield. You cannot hold yourself at fault for Date-dono's injury. In fact, considering Oda's arquebus core was supposed to reinforce Tokugawa, I could easily make the argument that Date-dono took that gunfire in order-…"

"One change of heart by the enemy and such things happen," Kojuro interrupted him. "It is the way of war. However…" He paused, thinking back to the battle. "That Akechi bastard. To him, it was as though war was a _game._ Even if the plan is to eventually crush everyone around them, to kill Azai and betray Tokugawa at this stage, I just cannot imagine that that was his best course of action."

"You have a point." Crossing his arms in thought, he continued.

"Problem is, though the Devil King nurtured him, Akechi clearly has no loyalties."

"Akechi…Mitsuhide…"

"Sanada no danna!" Yukimura shot around upon hearing Sasuke's voice from behind him.

"Sasuke, who is that?" He asked, seeing the obviously injured man he was holding.

"Bunshichi!" Kojuro called in recognition. Bunshichi groaned.

"Katakura…sama…"

"What happened to you, man?" Kojuro asked worriedly, kneeling down next to him.

"I'm sorry, sir. Yoshinao and the others… we wanted to repay the Takeda Clan…so we took over…the guard duty at one of the gates…but…when it got dark…we heard a strange noise… We thought nothing of it and…just stayed there... Then a man in black…with a huge bomb on his back came running at us. The bomb landed…right in front of us and exploded," Bunshichi explained.

"By the time I arrived, all I found was this guy laying there alone," Sasuke added.

"What of the others?" Yukimura demanded.

"It would seem they were taken," Sasuke stated as he reached into his clothes to reveal a letter. "I found this there, too." Taking it, Yukimura unfolded it. Shortly reading through it, he called out to the Right Eye alarmed. Noting the urge in his voice, Kojuro stood up an took the letter to read it himself.

"It says, in exchange for the man they captured, we are to hand over the armor that needs no shield _as well_ as Date's six dragon swords by tomorrow morning. But I cannot read the calligraphy." Eyes flying to said calligraphy, he deciphered it immediately.

"Matsunaga Danjo Hisahide!" In silent rage he crumpled the letter like it was the reason for all this.

"This Matsunaga guy…" Sasuke started. "He is known as the villain of the Warring States, but he hasn't been doing anything. It's said he's been living as a hermit, spending his time collecting antiques."

"Sanada," Kojuro addressed the Young Cub. "What is the armor that needs no shield?"

"It is the Takeda family heirloom. When Oyakata-sama prepares to embark on a great venture, he gathers his chief vassals before this armor and the ancient banner to determine the Clan's collected will. Oaths sworn on such occasions are never broken. The armor that needs no shield is a symbol of the Takeda's unwavering will. It is literally a treasure. It is said that no weapon, no matter how sharp a force, can pierce it, and in turn, when someone has suffered a grave injury, it is said that they're bed in the armor's presence, which is why Date-dono rests there now."

"So it's that armor," Kojuro remembered. Looking down at the letter in his hand, he clenched even tighter. "What's Matsunaga's game? He wants Date's swords and Takeda's armor? What, so he can decorate the walls of his hermit cave?!"

"I shall go notify Oyakata-sama right away!"

"There is no need for that," Kojuro refused, closing his eyes and turning away from Yukimura.

"Why not?" Yukimura asked.

"This was a failure on our part. We cannot make anymore trouble for the Takeda Clan. It doesn't matter if we told the Tiger of Kai. I cannot ask him to give up his greatest family treasure."

"Katakura-sama…!" Bunshichi called out, crawling over to him, trying to change his mind somehow.

"Masamune-sama is not to hear a word of this! Those men were shot down in Nagashino! They died, got it?!"

"But Katakura-sama…"

"Katakura-dono…!"

"Danna, it's the correct decision," Sasuke pointed out.

"You're just gonna ignore it, Kojuro?" Asked an all too familiar voice. Turning around, they were met with the image of the One-Eyed Dragon standing there in full armor, leaning against the door frame like he hadn't been shot just a few hours ago. "Let him treat us like chumps?"

"Big Boss…!"

"Date-dono!"

"Hey there, Yukimura. Where're ya keeping my horse?" Masamune asked, stepping down from the porch. Doing so, the others could make out an decisive detail about him, which surely hadn't been there before. His pupil was slitted like that of a cat. A detail that did not go by his Right Eye, who immediately knew what it meant.

"What are you doing, Masamune-sama?!"

"No big whup. Sounds like your basic hostage recovery situation, right? I got that, no sweat. So where is this Matsunaga bastard?" Masamune wanted to know as he casually walked past Kojuro, most likely to head off to the stables and retrieve his horse, smiling all the while.

"You mustn't!"

"No man left behind, that's the Date way. Got it?" He didn't even turn around to face him.

"I will not allow you to leave here," Kojuro stated as he laid his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Katakura-sama, no…" But neither Bunshichi nor Yukimura and Sasuke stepped in, knowing this wasn't something they should get in between.

"You really gonna turn your sword on me?"

"Your retainers are valuable, but not nearly as much as your own person!" Now, Masamune did turn around, wearing a wide smile of confidence.

"Then do this with me. Watch my back like you always do!" But Kojuro slowly drew sword from its sheath.

"Katakura-dono, wait!" Yukimura tried to intervene, but Kojuro would hear nothing of it.

"You must be allowed to fear nothing, to proceed forward in all times and at any cost!" The sword had fully left the sheath. "So I do watch your back, I see what you cannot. You know I swore this to you. But I will not allow you to leave here in your current state! I swear it on my life!" He stated firmly as a blue aura started to surround him.

"Well, you had your chance," Masamune sighed as he drew one of his blades in kind, already glinting blue. "I won't hold back."

And their blades met. Only for a short time though, as Kojuro got pushed back. He immediately caught himself again and ran at Masamune in a half circular manner, making him disappear into Masamune's blind spot, from where he struck again and again. Masamune managed to parry the blows each time, but it was obviously difficult for him.

"Look at Katakura-dono, he only attacks Date-dono's right side!" Yukimura stated.

"His every move is so precise. I like this guy!" Sasuke smiled.

Meanwhile, Masamune was forced to jump back from his opponent to gain the needed distance to pick up speed. He went back to his fighting stance, the sword horizontal next to his head to allow him to stab more precisely and grinned, knowing he would be able to deal a nice blow. As soon as it came, the grin disappeared as his left hand went down to his abdomen. His wound had reopened. And before he knew it, Kojuro was in front of him and with the hilt of the sword he stabbed him right where the bullet wound was. Even with the armor, it hurt like hell. Groaning in pain, Masamune stepped back.

"Dammit, that's low!" he cursed hoarsely. Unable to move as he wished, he could not get away when Kojuro lifted his sword again and hit him with the back of the blade in the neck, successfully knocking him out cold. Looking down at his defeated master, Kojuro turned his back to him.

"Boss! Big Boss!" Bunshichi called, running up to Masamune's fallen form, falling to his knees next to him. "Katakura-sama, that wasn't fair! Boss Date is badly injured, so why…?!" He stopped his tirade as Kojuro turned back to him, his gaze set with determination and confidence as they rested on Masamune. He sheathed his sword again and kneeled down on the opposite side to where Bunshichi was kneeling next to Masamune.

"Yes, Masamune-sama, I understand. Without fail, I will safely recover your missing retainers."

"Katakura-dono…" Yukimura uttered in amazement.

"But I need to borrow these to do it," he added, picking up the six swords with such care as he got to his feet, one would think he expected them to break as easily as glass. At this moment, noise could be heard from the room Masamune had been resting.

" _Masamune…sama…"_ Surprised, Sasuke and Yukimura shot around. Bunshichi and Kojuro also turned to face the screens, but they knew what caused the unease.

The shoji screens suddenly broke out of their frames as a giant head appeared from inside the room. The eyes were still closed, the dragon clearly blind. The advanced on them as her front claws carried her over. Her head hovered over Kojuro, Bunshichi and Masamune for a bit, 'looking' down on them.

"Are you feeling better now, Kaminari-sama?" Kojuro asked.

" _I would not call it better, but at least I can move,"_ she answered. _"Where are we? This is not the encampment of the Oda nor is it the Date estate."_

"We are currently taking shelter in the estate of the Tiger of Kai, Takeda Shingen. We were engaged in battle with the Azai and then shot at by the Oda's arquebus core. The Takeda extended their help to us and we accepted."

" _I see. So this is a bullet wound…"_ Lowering her snout, her nostrils flared up. " _It's nothing that won't heal, but it'll take time. In my condition, I won't be able to speed it up by much. I will work on it little by little, though."_

"I will leave him in your care, then. But don't overexert yourself, you hear me?" Her body trembled as a light chuckle could be heard.

" _I won't. I Promise."_ Kaminari said as her head bent down and her jaws opened, showing off a row of razor sharp teeth. Yukimura and Sasuke tried to intervene, but seeing Kojuro's warning gaze, they remained where they stood and could only watch in amazement as the dragon gently scooped Masamune up into its mouth, only the lower legs dangling out. She closed her mouth again, mindful of her teeth and lifted her head from the ground, before she slowly and carefully retreated backwards into the room. She had some problems getting her antlers back in, but eventually, her head was back inside. The spectators could only watch as the dragon circled the futon in the middle a couple of times, before she laid down to release Masamune from the confinement of her mouth with the upmost care, gently nudging him until he lie on the futon properly and using a claw to put the giant kimono, that had served as his blanket until now, back over him. She then rested her head next to him, her claw draped over him. Someone would need to come later and remove the armor from him, but it was clear, that wouldn't happen anytime soon.

"That is amazing…!" Yukimura admired. Sasuke mutely agreed.

"I will feel much better leaving now, knowing Masamune-sama in her hands." Kojuro looked over at Bunshichi. "Make sure you get medical treatment and always stay close to Kaminari-sama." Bunshichi nodded.

"Hai." And with that, Katakura went to retrieve the missing retainers.

"So in the end, he's still going by himself," Sasuke uttered to himself.

But that didn't sit right with Yukimura, so he found himself in the assembly hall, facing his lord on his knees, Sasuke only slightly behind him on one knee himself. The air was suffocating.

"I understand the details of the matter. So, Yukimura…"

"Hai."

"What is this question you wish to ask of me?"

"Yes, Oyakata-sama, I would ask…" He stopped, unable to continue, his shoulders shivering. "I humbly request…"

"Come on, Danna, just ask him already!" Sasuke whispered. But he couldn't.

"Then I shall ask _you_ a question. Why did you allow the Dragon's Right Eye to go _alone_?"

"Oyakata-sama, along with Date-dono's swords, Matsunaga wants the armor that needs no shield, the treasure of the Takeda family which must never leave its place here. To simply hand it over as ransom to someone biased enough to take hostages, it's out of the question!" Yukimura hastily explained, sweating ferociously, his voice growing strained. "And also Katakura-dono expressed to me his desire to avoid inquiring further debt to the Takeda Clan. I wanted to…respect his wishes. Furthermore, with the fate of the land in jeopardy, there is no telling when the Devil King's minions may sneak into Kai, quite possibly to make an attempt on your life, Oyakata-sama. So, for me to leave Kai at this point and time would be…" Behind him, Sasuke facepalmed.

"YOU COLOSSALE OF A FOOL!" Shingen screamed as his fist connected with his apprentice's chin, sending him high into the air, before he fell through the wooden floor head first. "Yukimura, you are showing your youth. Why have you not asked me to give you the armor, no, not even that," he corrected himself, while Yukimura slowly climbed out of the clutter. "Why did you not just take the armor without even a word to me and go off and save those men with Katakura?!"

"Oyakata-sama…!"

"Matsunaga's demands did not stop at the One-Eyed Dragon's swords. If he does not get the swords _and_ the armor that needs no shield this villain of the Warring States will _never_ make the deal. That much is certain." He turned away from Yukimura and looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Regarding Date, in time we _may_ have to fight them for supremacy, but right now they are guests under the protection of Takeda. To have others in your care is not just about sharing food and logics." Yukimura finally climbed fully out of the hole and crawled over to his lord on his knees with a renewed admiration.

"Oyakata-sama!" His head almost hit the floor as he bowed. "I understand now. The way Date-dono and Katakura-dono must be feeling right now, it would be as though our own Sasuke had been taken!" He claimed, pointing at Sasuke with his arm. "It would be absolutely unforgivable!"

"Then again, I would never screw up like that." Yukimura continued like he had not heard Sasuke's comment.

"To be honest, Oyakata-sama, I saw something of you earlier in Katakura-dono's visage. Passion, the hardship bring to all your dealings with me. I felt as though Katakura-dono embodied the same exact qualities!"

"All the more reason for you to take the armor that needs no shield!" Shingen said, looking at him from over his shoulder.

"Oyakata-sama!"

"Rescue the Date men being held hostage and bring back the armor without fail!"

"Oyakata-sama, I understand completely!"

"Do not mock this up, Yukimura!"

"Oyakata-sama!

"Yukimura!"

"Oyakata-sama!"

"Yukimura!"

"Oyakata-sama!"

"Yukimura!"

"Bonding, great," Sasuke muttered from the sidelines as he waited for those two to either stop or lose their voice.

* * *

While Shingen and Yukimura were busy trying to figure out who se voice would give out first, err, bonding, Kojuro had made his way to Matsunaga's hermit cave, as he had called it. No one guarded the gate and no one stopped him from passing through it as the giant doors opened. It was inside that he was greeted by someone, tipping their weapons on the ground in a set rhythm.

"Lose one man, another joins."

"Lose two men and two more join."

"Lose three men and that's the end."

Kojuro was faced by three men, two with white armor and black overcoats, the one in the middle being the exact opposite. The two identical ones then stepped behind the one in the middle in a perfect line.

"We are the Death God Core of the Matsunaga army." The identical members now looked over their leader's shoulders at Kojuro, one over each shoulder, making the leader appear three-faced. "Miyoshi Three." Some sort of fog rose from vases standing at the sidelines.

"Hand the ransom over to us," the leader demanded.

"The hostages will be delivered later," the one on to Kojuro's left stated.

"Dead or alive is up to you," the one to Kojuro's right said. Kojuro put the valuable package down, before he addressed them.

"Since you're dreaming, let me put you to sleep!" And he unsheathed his sword, showing he was serious. "Come on!"

* * *

A/N: To get some confusion out of the way, Kaminari/Kagome is talking like for example Inupapa in the third movie. Since they don't really move their mouths, I found it logical that she would be able to communicate even without a tongue. Kinda like telepathy. Tell me what you think! ^^ And don't worry, the action is going to stray from the original show a bit more with each chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

First off, I'm terribly sorry it took so long! I've had one exam after another and this entire time I had been waiting for my laptop to be returned to me (which only happend today). I was happy to see that what I had already saved up for this story had not been deleted after all, my laptop had just randomly decided to save it in another file that I had no access to from my tablet.

Thank you to **Aterina, Shiovaun** and **brizzy13** for following and favoriting and **CurlyQue** for following! Love you all!

Point outs to grammar or spelling mistakes would be much appreciated, as well as some feedback! ;)

Disclaimer: I wouldn't even be able to claim ownership if I were to make the original creators "disappear".

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Dragon-clad Warrior**

Dealing with the Miyoshi Three was nothing if not a joke. Falling victim to their own trick was like a snake succumbing to its own poison. Pathetic. Kojuro had climbed the stairs, panting he had to support himself on his knees as he reached the top.

"Damn! I inhaled too much of it." He heard steps coming closer to him and held his breath, looking up at… "Matsunaga Hisahide!" Behind him, attached to pillars were Yoshinao, Samenosuke and Magobei.

"Good evening. I've been awaiting your arrival. I must say, I had hoped you were brought to me as a corpse. But I see you're not to be underestimated."

"I, Katakura Kojuro, am not called the Dragon's Right Eye for nothing!" Hisahide huffed, unpleased with the answer.

"Katakura-sama!"

"So sorry, Boss, we were careless!"

"Listen, sir, you can't do this! We'd love to be rescued, but Big Boss's swords are-…!"

"This will all be over soon," Kojuro interrupted Magobei. "Do not give up hope!"

"This is a surprise. That you actually brought the Six Dragon Claws here," Hisahide stated.

"I believe you made your demands clear."

"The One-Eyed Dragon is a rare man, indeed! That he would hand over his precious swords to save three common soldiers."

"Do not presume we're like other clans!" Kojuro shouted. "In the Date Army there are no common soldiers!" He further claimed, making the three retainers gasp. "If the day ever comes when we are abandoned in the battlefield, we will be ready for it!"

"I see. Why then, with the fate of the entire land in jeopardy, have you let yourself be caught up in this trivial matter and come all this way? If there was ever a time to abandon the men in fire, I think now might be good."

"That's easy," Kojuro responded, unwrapping the cloth with the swords from his back. "This is _not_ where they were meant to die! We formed this clan of warriors in _response_ to these violent times. I fully expect us to suffer casualties. _However!_ " He added as he let the cloth fly to the ground. "I won't let one man die in vain, that is the way of the Date ad the will of Masamune-sama!"

"Boss, you can't…" Yoshinao weakly tried.

"Please, no…" Came from Samenosuke. But Kojuro wouldn't hear it. He threw the swords at Hisahide where they got stuck in the wood in front of him, forming some kind of passage for him, perfectly symmetrical with the hilts up.

"They're yours…for the moment."

"Katakura-sama!" Magobei cried out.

"You can't do this!" Samenosuke repeated.

"The soul of Date…in _his_ hands?!" Yoshinao called out in refusal.

"Now these are my demands: Fight me!" Kojuro challenged. "If I win, you'll return both the hostages _and_ the swords! If you _can_ fight." Hisahide grinned, causing Kojuro to tense up.

"This should prove amusing," he chuckled as he descended a few of the stairs. "But it is not enough."

"What?!"

"As you said, I was quite clear in my demands. Without both treasures I will not negotiate."

"This is all the Date Clan has to offer, if you want the Tiger of Kai's armor, go bargain with _him!_ "

"Ha, as I thought, you misinterpreted my demands, after all."

"What the hell do you mean?" Hisahide's grin grew.

"'The Armor that needs no Shield'… I'm aware of the Takeda's family possession of such a treasure, but it was not the one I referred to in my demands." Kojuro's widened a fraction.

"What?!"

"I was talking about Date Masamune's armor. I'm not stupid, I'm aware of these swords' specialty. You were all too ready to use the swords, because you knew, even if your plan were to fail, you would still win in the long run. But you being in the Takeda household gave me a golden opportunity, so I made my demands concerning the armor I wanted a bit vague, fooling you into bringing it to me on your own accord, but in the end, he would not go so far to offer up his prized possession." Kojuro prepared himself, his left hand hovering over his sword's hilt. Hisahide smiled amused.

"Hold! Hold, I say!" The grin disappeared as both turned their attention to the staircase behind Kojuro to see the Young Cub running towards them, carrying a huge chest on his back. He came to an abrupt halt next to Kojuro.

"If you want the Takeda's armor, here it is," Yukimura called.

"Sanada!" Kojuro couldn't believe what he was hearing as he watched Yukimura set the chest on the ground.

"My name is Sanada Genjiro Yukimura. I come as proxy to Oyakata-sama, Takeda Shingen." He lifted the top from the box, revealing the armor inside. "Behold, the Armor that needs no Shield, treasure of the Takeda family, I invite you, Matsunaga Hisahide-dono, to verify its authenticy for yourself!" Hisahide lifted a hand to his chin as he watched delighted how Yukimura carried the Armor to lay it down an few feet in front of him and Kojuro.

"I never imagined both treasures would come together so easily…" Casting a quick glance over to the hostages, he continued. "But it's not enough."

"What?!" Yukimura was shocked. "These are the ransom you demanded!"

"Yes and no. I clearly asked for the Dragon Swords, but the armor I was actually speaking of is Date Masamune's which he dons for every single battle."

"Date-dono's armor? But then, why-…?"

"It was because I knew you would jump to incorrect conclusions and bring me the treasure of the Takeda. In the end, I would come into the possession of three great treasures I've long coveted."

"But what is so special about Date-dono's armor? And why describe it in such a way? If it was an armor that needed no shield, Date-dono never would've suffered such a wound!"

"The One-Eyed Dragon's armor's specialty does not lie in the defense from hostile attacks, that much is true. In the first place, it's main objective never was the protection from outside forces, but to protect the one wearing it from himself, or more accurately, these swords," Hisahide explained, indicating to the Six Swords to his sides. "These swords are not something you see on a daily basis, for they are forged from a dragon's fang." Yukimura's eyes widened, while Kojuro's narrowed. He knew far too much to his liking.

"A dragon's fang?"

"That's right. Of course, wielding a weapon of such eccentric origin should be nay impossible to the average human. Unless, of course, you wear the armor of the young Date. Whenever he heads into battle, Date Masamune is clad into dragon-wear from head to foot. Armor made from old shed skin, pressed together in several layers, clothes woven from the dragon's hair. Who would I be if I did not wish to possess it?" Yukimura turned to Kojuro.

"Is what he says about Date-dono's armor really true?" Kojuro's silence was more than enough for Yukimura. "I had no idea his armor held such power…"

"How the hell do _you_ know all that?!" Yoshinao screamed.

"I have my connections. As the armor is not here, the swords might as well not be here as well, they are useless without the armor, after all. I won't even be able to remove them from where they are now." To emphasize his words, he reached out with his hand to grab one of the swords, but lightning flashed up from the hilt, making him recoil. The two other swords on the same side reacted as well.

"I don't understand…"

"These swords," Kojuro started. "Have somewhat of a consciousness. They differ between members of the Date and foes. In other words, anyone who does not see himself as a Date is a foe in the eyes of the swords and they will protect themselves. The armor protects the wearer from damage since the power of the swords is just so big even those deemed friends will end up hurt."

"I see…"

"Two out of the three treasures are beyond my reach…" Hisahide grinned, "Since I doubt you'll make it back in time to get the armor, I'll consider the deadline to be now." He snapped his fingers. The yard behind him with the hostages blew up in explosives.

"Katakura-sama!" They screamed out, before they disappeared in the destruction.

"Sasuke!" Yukimura called out in worry, but then there were explosives closing in on them, too, cutting them off from the armor, going off in a great fire. When the dust settled, the already destroyed temple behind Hisahide was burning brightly and Kojuro and Yukimura were laying on the ground, hit by the explosives.

* * *

Back at the Takeda mansion, Masamune's eye flew open as he once again came to. Groggily, he sat up, wincing as pain from his wound shot through his body, though it felt somewhat less painful than before…

A gentle gust of wind hit him from behind and when he turned, he was greeted with another one. Smiling, he reached up to pet Kaminari's muzzle.

"You finally awake, too?" Nevermind the fact that he had been sleeping himself until now. His eye traveled up to her eyes, which were glued shut with new dried blood. "Just what happened to you there?"

" _They wanted information on the Date Clan, I assume,"_ she shared her thoughts.

"So I guess your missing tongue's your own fault."

" _Yes. I bit it off and as punishment, Mitsuhide gouged my eyes out."_

"That sick freak…!" Masamune growled angrily.

" _I can still sense auras, so I'll be fine, more or less. But they also cut the tendons at the back of my feet, so I won't be able to walk anywhere for quite some time."_

"You being here's enough. I'm glad you're back," Masamune tried to cheer her up. He was rewarded by a gentle nudge with her muzzle. Suddenly, she froze.

" _Someone's coming. I can sense an enormous aura closing in."_

"Most likely Old Man Tiger." And sure enough, some time later did Shingen turn up.

"You took quite a beating. For a One-Eyed Dragon, I cannot imagine any opponent more formidable than his own Right Eye, attacking only from his right side," Shingen commented.

"It's nothing to laugh at."

" _But_ he made sure to _avoid_ direct hits to your gunshot wound. A rare and trustworthy man, indeed." A short silence followed. Not sensing any tension, Kaminari laid her head back down, as close to Masamune as possible and making sure she was right between Masamune and Shingen. Absently, Masamune started petting her head and going through her mane.

"Whatever." He cast a glance back behind him to where the armor had been. "You sent Sanada after him, I take it? The armor that was here, it's your family's most prized-…"

"It is needed elsewhere right now," Shingen interrupted, making Kaminari bristle for a second. Masamune turned back to Shingen. "A man who can do something, yet chooses to do nothing can never be a man who achieves greatness." He smiled. "Before long, we will bid farewell to these turbulent times and it will be you young men who carry on and define the era to come." A grin grew on Masamune's face, making Shingen look at him in surprise.

"You say that, but you're the kinda guy, who is gonna be throwing his way around forever. Or am I wrong?"

"No, that sounds like me, alright," Shingen agreed, laughing heartfully. Calming down, he continued. "On another note, I still find it hard to believe you actually managed to acquire such an astonishing creature."

"I didn't 'acquire' her. She came on her own, long after we met. She is our backbone, the reason I turned out to be the man I am."

"Sounds like a deep bond you two have." Shingen paused and became serious again. "Matsunaga Hisahide is the only general who has faced Oda in battle and been allowed breathing afterwards." He sat down on the porch with his back to the two dragons. "This could mean that he is under Oda's command and the Devil King ordered him to create some sort of diversion for us. That seems unlikely, though."

"Why you say that?"

"Matsunaga does not _take_ orders."

"Then why did Oda let him live?"

"I could not say for certain. _But_ …" He looked at Masamune from over his shoulder. "Perhaps when he found a rare cuckoo bird, he fancied keeping it in a cage." A menacing growl emitted from the blind dragon's throat. Seeing this as his cue to leave, he stood up. "Rest well for now, One-Eyed Dragon. The world still has great need of you." And thus, he went to leave.

"Takeda Old Man," Masamune called out. Takeda halted and looked through the partly opened screens at the One-Eyed Dragon, still petting the blind dragon, but focusing his gaze on him. "I _will_ pay you back for this on the battlefield."

"After we defeat the Devil King, we can fight each other all the way to Kyoto." Grinning, he added "I know someone else, who wishes for that, too."

"Alright," Masamune grinned back.

After Shingen had left, Masamune went back to trying to calm Kaminari down.

"You know he didn't mean it, Kaminari."

" _Still, it makes me angry, hearing that,"_ she grumbled. _"There's something else you should know."_

"What is it?"

" _Akechi Mitsuhide is not who you think he is."_ Masamune knitted his eyebrows together. _"I don't think he recognized me, but I know it's him."_

"Who?"

" _Someone I met a hundred years ago. Back then we thought we had killed him. He and his brother were incarnations of the one who killed me."_

"Then what would he be doing here?"

" _I don't know. Back then, he was a really slimy little creature. No legs, sickles for hands, the head with long pale hair being the only human part of him. When we fought, he had a preference to either hide in the earth or his brother's stomach. He was too fast to see and attacked, trying to get a taste of our insides, especially mine. He and his brother obeyed no one but him. On his order his brother even attacked their creator." Masamune's expression contorted to a disgusted grimace._

"I'd always known that that dude was creepy as they come. What's his real name?"

" _Kageromaru. His brother is Juromaru, though I'm not sure where he currently is."_

"what about Nobunaga?"

" _I don't know. He never came down to where I was being held."_

* * *

"Life. Death," Matsunaga said, descending the stairs and approaching the armor. "All people repeat the cycle of being born and being broken. If you know that everything is temporary, do not resist what you desire, but take it, appreciate it and in the end, destroy it as freely as you wish." He bend down to pick up the armor, as Kojuro started to stir.

"Matsunaga…!"

"You're free to go, boy. I will gratefully accept the ransom you did manage to bring to me. The men you came to save are no longer. Fighting me will do you no good." But his words fell on deaf ears. Kojuro was glowing blue, lightning crackled around him in his rage. "Well, don't you look to be in a foul mood. I don't understand why you're so upset. I've obtained that which I desired. For the most part, at least. That is really all there is to it," Hisahide explained, brushing his hand over the helmet of the Takeda armor. Kojuro stepped closer, lightning still surrounding him as he unsheathed his sword.

"Damn you, Matsunaga…! Now, I'll show you how to open the gates of hell!"

"You clearly feel a need to take my life." Hisahide stood up from his crouched position and drawing his sword as well. "So be it. Take it as your desire dictates. It is the worlds only truth." Swinging his sword to the side, several black cladded men jumped in on the action, carrying huge bombs on their backs. Their war cries were empty.

Spinning his spear and thus creating a gust of wind, Yukimura blew the first few rows of them away, leaving them on the ground to gather their bearings, while more stormed forth.

"Never before have I fought anyone like these men," Yukimura stated both surprised and disappointed. "I sense nothing even _resembling_ fighting spirit in them."

"That's because Matsunaga is _paying_ them. He can't _possibly_ have any loyal retainers." With that said, Kojuro, decided to make quick work of this and once again stuck his sword into the earth, before drawing his other blade, which caused an immense amount of lightning, scattering the men and making their bombs blow up uselessly in midair.

"Matsunaga, you're acting like a child throwing a tantrum!" Kojuro called out, running through the dust whirled up by the fighting. A few stray strands of hair had left his strict hair style and hung into his face. "It's time to send you to bed!"

"I hate to ruin your moment," Hisahide started. "But how do you think you can possibly win in your condition?" Startled, Kojuro froze where he was as, all of a sudden, his chest started aching and his throat burned, trying to get the oxygen the body needed. He fell to his knees. "The incense," Hisahide enlightened him. "Of agonizing death. A secret preparation I'm fond of. It grows quite lethal when combined with the poison you've breathed earlier." He charged and attacked Kojuro, though keeping his left hand behind his back, not deeming the situation important enough to use both hands. "You two cannot win!"

"Katakura-dono!" Yukimura called, running to his aid, but being blown off course by a bomb. As he flew, someone appeared behind him and caught him, carrying him off to a 'safe' place.

"Now that could've gone better."

"Sasuke!" Said ninja landed them safe and sound. "Are you hurt?" Yukimura asked concerned.

"Please, who do you think you're talking to here? Though it did get a bit dicey." They were distracted from further small talk by the clashing of Kojuro's and Hisahide's swords. They returned their attention to the battle in time to see Hisahide, now wielding his blade with both hands, forcing Kojuro to his knees, while Kojuro had to support the blade his right palm to avoid getting halved.

"Neither the Dragon nor the Tiger can afford to hold the tips of their tails too deep. A Devil devours all at his side they'll find it difficult to survive. Much less seize this country from his bloody talons, even against me, a withered, greedy, old hermit, you have no chance of victory!" Hisahide's blade inched closer to Kojuro's scalp.

"I'm sick of your pointless rambling!" Hisahide grinned, but was soon distracted by the Takeda ninja throwing little bombs at them, emitting some green gas. Yukimura stormed in and cleared the air from the dirt that had inevitably been whirled up. Not knowing the origin of the gas, Kojuro covered his mouth and nose, he was poisoned enough as it was.

"Katakura-danna!" Kojuro looked over to the ninja. "That smoke has the antidote! Breathe in deep!" Well, so much for that. He did as the ninja had told him and immediately felt his body lighten. Hisahide chose this moment to attack again, though he was blocked by Kojuro's blade. Exhaling, he growled, while the blue aura emitted from him again.

"You're mine now, Matsunaga." He assumed a fighting stance. "In the pitch-black nothingness of a single ray of light!" A huge gust of energy and lightning came forth, heading right for Hisahide. His face contorted to a fearful grimace as he had to realize that he wouldn't be able to dodge in time. Abd it hit him bull's eye, throwing him into the air and straight into the stone statue of Buddha, where he left a Hisahide formed crater in which he was now stuck in. he watched as Kojuro stepped closer to the statue.

"It's a shame, but someday you will fade from this world as well. For in the end, we all return to nothing."

"We will not just fade away. Though there is no way to know how long it may last. We _will_ leave our mark on this world." Hisahide chuckled amused.

"There is no treasure you can take with you to Nirvana."

"You needn't worry. That isn't where you go from here. But I'll meet you in hell."

"Yes, you will," Hisahide agreed. "A brief farewell, then…Right Eye of the Dragon!" And a massive explosion went off right in front of Kojuro, engulfing the statue and the temple. Calmly, Kojuro sheathed his swords. Yukimura and Sasuke stepped up to stand slightly behind him.

"I'm in your debt," Kojuro stated.

"No, I'm as disappointed as you must be," Yukimura told it off.

"So sorry. It was all I could do to get out of therein one piece myself," Sasuke apologized, awkwardly scratching his cheek. He looked up to the burning temple and gasped. There was a silhouette standing up in the flames and then separating into three!

"Those are…!" Yukimura started.

"Katakura-danna!" Sasuke called out. Kojuro tensed up, ready to attack.

" _MA-TSU-NA-GA!"_ A chorus of voices cried out angrily, making Kojuro falter. It wasn't HIsahide or some other minions approaching from the flames, but Samenosuke, Magobei and Yoshinao, all battered up, using logs for support to walk.

"Don't you even think you can kill us so easily!" Samenosuke...

"Yeah, what else you got?" Yoshinao…

"Big Boss's swords? You can't have 'em!" Magobei...

Getting over his shock and surprise, Kojuro just sighed. He should have known better. Exhausted, the three collapsed to their knees in front of him.

"You guys…" he grinned. There really was no army like their's.

"Katakura-sama!"

"Where is the bastard?" Samenosuke demanded. They looked around, but didn't see their captor anywhere.

"Aaghh, don't tell us…"

"Is it…over already?"

"It is." Disappointed about missing the action, they hung their heads.

"Still hungry," Magobei muttered as his stomach growled.

"Oh, man…!" Yukimura uttered.

"You've gotta be kidding!" Sasuke said in denial.

"Katakura-sama, we're _so_ sorry," Samenosuke apologized.

"We are so ashamed, sir," Yoshinao added. Kojuro knelt down to be at eye-level, still smiling.

"You guys…did well." They grinned back at him.

"You're the one who said it, Katakura-sama," Samenosuke stated.

"This isn't the place where we were meant to die!" Yoshinao recalled.

"Not until the Big Boss conquers the whole country!" Magobei proclaimed. Kojuro's face softened.

"Yeah. That's the spirit." Laughing and joking they moved past this experience and made their way down the stairs. Yukimura approached Katakura, seeing this as a good opportunity to have some of his questions answered.

"Katakura-dono, if you wouldn't mind answering some of my questions…"

"Again, Sanada?" Yukimura tensed up, but upon seeing the joking smile sent his way, he dismissed his tension.

"Earlier, when Date-dono wanted to go rescue his men…I did not find anything odd in his behavior, to me he acted like he always did. Of course, I too knew he shouldn't go, considering the grave injury he suffered from. But your rejection of such an intent of Date-dono's seemed…extreme. Like there was something you knew that we did not," Yukimura tried to elaborate.

"I did. You saw it too, didn't you?" Seeing Yukimura's confusion, he added. "Masamune-sama' slitted pupil." Realization dawned in him and he nodded. He had been wondering about that as well. "For some reason, whenever he is gravely injured or calling upon every inch of power in his body, his pupil grows slitted. We have come to realize that it is a telltale sign of his body digging into its deepest resources to keep itself up and working."

"So seeing this sign, you recognized that Date-dono was in the worst possible condition," Yukimura concluded.

"I believe," Sasuke added his remark. "That it's not just 'for some reason'. You _know_ why that happens." Kojuro remained for a while, listening to the cheerful banter of his rescued men.

"I do. Well, I guess I owe you for coming after me, so I will tell you what happened." Yukimura and Sasuke gulped, sensing the rising tension and the seriousness. "Masamune-sama liked to play in the woods when he was small and I accompanied him on those trips. One day, I lost track of him and looked for him and when I found him again, his clothes had been torn up from bushes. Miraculously however, Masamune-sama himself was not injured, not even a scratch. From that point on, he continued sneaking out of the estate into the woods and no one knew where exactly. I was like he disappeared. Due to unfortunate circumstances he lost his right eye and tension started to rise within the Clan. Many deemed Masamune-sama unable to rule, although he was the legitimate heir. Even his own mother favored his younger brother. She even went so far to poison Masamune-sama, hoping he would die." Yukimura flinched and looked at Kojuro in disbelief. "Fortunately, the tension in the Clan had made me wary, so I had been just outside the room when it happened. He forbid me to bring him to the healers, however, and I had no idea where else to bring him. I remembered the time when he returned without a scratch, so I took him to the woods, hoping whoever he had met up with for several years there would be able to save him. That's how I met Kaminari-sama." He closed his eyes as he remembered their not so pleasant first meeting. "She was more than willing to help me, but she soon recognized the poison to be one that had no known antidote available for us. There was only one option." Kojuro stared right into the Tiger Cub's eyes. "She ordered me to gouge out one of her eyes." Yukimura gasped and Sasuke did not look so unshaken either.

"One of her eyes?! But why?"

"I've heard rumors about dragon eyes granting immortality," Sasuke stated. "But I never thought it'd have some truth to it."

"Exactly. She took on her human form to make it easier for me. I did not know her, but I knew that no one, especially a dragon, hunted for the fame its head would bring its slayer, would willingly have their eye gouged out. So I did as I had been ordered. She immediately took over from there, never minding her bleeding eye socket. She mixed the eye with some water and honey and then made Masamune-sama ingest it. At first we thought it simply cured the poison in his system, but now we're not sure how it will affect him in the future."

"So Date-dono is not just a dragon in title," Yukimura stated.

"What about the armor? Is it true what Matsunaga said?" Sasuke asked. Kojuro nodded.

"Yes. Kaminari-sama had the armor and the swords made in secret, we had no idea what she was doing. She had been gone for more than ten days shortly after Masamune-sama received his name. Some thought that she might have run away since many authorities in the Date Clan were suspicious of her back then. But Masamune-sama insisted that she would return. And she did, bearing gifts for him and me."

"You too?" Yukimura echoed. Kojuro grinned at him.

"Just how do you believe I'm able to wield lightning myself?"

"You're saying your swords are made of the dragon's fang as well?" Saskue concluded.

"I am. The Six Dragon Claws were made from the two long fangs from her upper jaw. Three swords forged from one tooth. My two swords were made separately from the two remaining fangs in the lower jaw. What armor I wear on my arms is from the same material as Masamune-sama's armor, the old skins Kaminari-sama has shed over time."

"Wouldn't it be smarter to use the scales?" Sasuke wanted to know.

"It is next to impossible to remove a scale from a living dragon, not to mention excruciatingly painful for her, so Masamune-sama refuses to use them."

"Then what about the whole Foresight thing? I heard you and Matsunaga talk about it while I was sneaking around to get close enough to free the hostages."

"It refers to Kaminari-sama's ability to sense a person's aura."

"Sense someone's aura?" Yukimura echoed incredulously again.

"Yes. It's what will make being blind somewhat easier for her. In any case, we thought of that nickname when Kaminari-sama was able to sense a hostile unit advancing for a surprise attack several miles away. We were able to prepare for it which in turn confused the enemy and made them insecure, giving us the upper hand."

"The One-Eyed Dragon, the head of the Date Clan, his Right Eye, watching out for what the Dragon can't and the Foresight, able to see even the best planned surprise attack coming," Sasuke murmured. "That's one hell of a team."


	8. Chapter 8

**Merry Christmas, everyone!**

Big Thank-you to **shiki ryuusaki** for following and favoriting this story! Much appreciated!

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Confrontation**

Kojuro, Samenosuke, Yoshinao, Magobei, Yukimura and Sasuke made it back to the Takeda residence safe and sound, the ransom still in their possession. They were greeted by a tear struck Bunshichi and an approvingly smiling Takeda Shingen. Bunshichi was so out of it, he needed several minutes until he could finally stop hugging the shit out of his friends and report what happened while they were away.

"There have been no unusual occurrences among the men. The Chief and Big Boss have spent most of their time in their room, but Big Boss did go out once and came back with a huge pot of rice porridge."

"Chief?" Yukimura wondered who they meant.

"Kaminari-sama," Samenosuke explained with a hushed voice. "She is the Chief of our healing aid unit."

"A dragon the Chief of the aid unit?"

"Ey, she ain't just a dragon!" Yoshinao defended her. "She's our Foresight and whenever something happens to her, the whole army's gonna thirst for revenge! Besides, when she's strong enough, she can take on a human form. She's just one amazing woman."

"I see. So the One-Eyed Dragon is Big Boss, his Right Eye is Boss and the real dragon is Chief," Sasuke summarized.

"But what would Date-dono want with a pot full of rice porridge?" Yukimura asked a bit louder this time.

"Feed it to the Chief, of course," Samenosuke answered.

"Kaminari-sama's an immortal dragon, so she very rarely ever eats to avoid wastin' any valuable food someone else might need, even when she's injured and needs to eat to recover faster," Magobei explained.

"So the Big Boss cooks for her whenever she's ill or wounded. Big Boss knows she'll feel obliged to eat when he goes through all that trouble for her," Yoshinao added.

"But I thought her tongue is missing. How can Date-dono feed a dragon rice porridge like that?" Yukimura asked curiously. Bunshichi, who had heard the question as he finished his report to Kojuro, spoke up.

"He stood on the porch here and Kaminari-sama had crawled out of the room enough to turn her head around and face Big Boss on the porch. She angled her head up and Big Boss slowly poured it into her mouth," he explained, trying to accompany his explanation with gestures to make it easier to understand, also pointing to the spots he was referring to.

"I was there as well and I believed it to be a truly wondrous sight," Shingen commented grinning. "I will also never forget how the One-Eyed Dragon just walked up to me and demanded I show him the shortest way to the kitchen, where he immediately took over, not letting anyone anywhere near the pot. One of the cooks tried to change something and, unfortunately for him, the One-Eyed Dragon had a knife in his hand at that moment. For an instant, I believed he would cut off my cook's hands."

"Honestly," Kojuro sighed. Though he should be pleased that Masamune showed such responsibility, he was kind of annoyed that he neglected his own well-being while doing so. On the other hand, it was safe to assume that Kaminari never would have let him leave if his condition couldn't allow activity such as cooking.

He left the others to themselves and entered the room inhabiting his two biggest concerns. Said concerns were peacefully resting like they should. But the basin in the corner of the room, filled with bloody water and with bloodied cloth laying around it did not go past his notice. Neither did the fact that Kaminari's eyes were no longer crusted with blood. As soon as she had the strength to transform into her human form, they would have to bandage them and her heels, but for now, cleaning the wounds was the best they could do.

Kojuro closed the sliding door behind him and, climbing over the protective dragon still curled around her closest friend, he placed the swords back at the head of the futon, next to his master's clothes and armor. He then knelt in front of the futon for some time, before he spoke.

"I have retrieved your retainers and returned safely." As no response came, he stood up again. Glancing at Masamune one last time, he exited the room again, closing the door as quietly as possible. Since Kaminari had not budged in the slightest from her position, Kojuro's sight was cut off, allowing the single steel grey eye staring at the ceiling to go unnoticed.

* * *

The next day dawned with a bright blue sky and birds happily singing their songs. Kaminari had recovered more strength in the short time period than she had thought (obviously, Masamune claimed his rice porridge to be the cause) and had not wasted time to heal as much of the bullet wound as she could.

Hence why Masamune could be found in the garden, donned in his armor minus the helmet and swinging one of his Dragon's Claws around. The door to their room was fully open so that Kaminari could lay her head on the porch and enjoy the sun, tuning out anything and everything that was not immediately around them to save her energy. Masamune had warned her to stay inside as much as possible to avoid a panic about a dragon inside the manor. Not to mention the fact that there were always people who sought fame and wealth. Slaying a dragon was most likely one of the fastest ways to that goal. He owed the Takeda for taking them in and they were currently their guests, but they were still the enemy. Besides, what the master of the manor says and what his servants actually do…there were far too many possibilities, so until she could take on human form again, he would avoid exposing her to too many people.

"Your wound from Nagashino seems to be on the mend," Kojuro shared his opinion as he stepped up to Masamune, who paused in his training.

"Yeah. I could go after the Devil King's head at any time."

"I'm relieved your injuries did not prove to be grave," he stated smiling. Masamune huffed.

"Sure, no thanks to you," Masamune grinned. He looked down at his sword. "What do you say, Kojuro? Wanna go another round?" And he continued striking again, as if to prove he was in a better condition to fight.

"Sir, I will be your sparring partner whenever you like." He waited shortly, before he spoke up again, once again the seriousness in person. "Masamune-sama."

"What's up?"

"Once you have defeated the Devil King and succeeded in seizing the country, I, Kojuro, am prepared to face the consequences." Masamune turned to him in surprise, though quickly returning to swinging his blade through imaginary enemies. Kaminari had turned her head as if to look at them.

"No matter the reason, I still turned my sword against you, sir." He closed his eyes and hung his head in shame. Behind him, Kaminari just grumbled amused and turned to lay down in a more comfortable position. "Whatever punishment you deem-…" He didn't get to finish as the tip of the Dragon's Claw was pointed at his throat.

"Man, you keep spewing that crap, I'm gonna have to chop you up right here," Masamune joked smiling. One which Kojuro returned with joy and pride as the sword removed itself from him.

"Yes, Masamune-sama!"

" _Men."_ Although annoyed by their antics on the surface, their following laughter made her smile inwardly. Life was finally right and great again.

"An urgent message," Sasuke said as he appeared out of nowhere. So much for life being right again. Masamune and Kojuro turned to him as Kaminari raised her head in anxiety, sensing a foreboding touch in the ninja's aura. "We have received word that Tokugawa Ieyasu, Daimyo of Mikawa, has been slain. Oyakata-sama wishes to have a conference with you. I will bring you to the assembly hall."

"What about Kaminari-sama?"

"Well, the assembly hall is some corridors away and I don't think we can let her go through the adjoining rooms…"

"Then there's only one option," Masamune stated and looked over to the giant reptile. "Think you can handle it already?"

" _I will try."_ She slowly but steadily started to glow in an eerie light until the present people had to shield their eyes from it. When it subsided, it grew smaller and smaller, revealing empty air where parts of the dragon had previously been. As it fully died down, a woman sat on the porch in a shabby kimono. She sat like she wanted to fold her legs underneath her, but instead had them slightly to the right, not fully sitting on them.

Yukimura gasped as the injuries she had suffered stood out grotesquely, now that there were no scales obscuring the view anymore. Masamune and Kojuro wasted no time walking to her side to properly tend to her wounds.

"Yukimura, wouldcha mind looking for a woman's kimono for me? And you, ninja, bring some bandages over." Yukimura returned much later than Sasuke with a simple light blue kimono. Since there were no women in the estate, he had to run to the next village and purchase one there.

Masamune had just wrapped a bandage around Kaminari's head to cover her eyes as Kojuro opened the door with the kimono in his hand.

"Perfect timing. Do you need help with the kimono?"

" _No, I'll be just fine, thank you,"_ Kaminari practically barked. Masamune laughed.

"Alright, if ya say so."

When she was done, Kojuro took it upon himself to carry her to the meeting, seeing as Masamune was still injured.

* * *

When they got there, Shingen sat on a stool facing them at the head of the room. Yukimura and Sasuke sat down on the wood to his left, Masamune, Kaminari and then Kojuro to his right.

"It was Akechi Mitsuhide," Sasuke started. "When Tokugawa formally broke his alliance with Oda, Akechi appeared as the Devil King's proxy. He cut down the unarmed Tokugawa without hesitation." Masamune sat there, his arms crossed as he thought about the twist this day had brought them, when he noticed Yukimura's shivering form sitting opposite of him. The Tiger Cub's hands twisted the fabric of his pants.

"Ieyasu-dono… Such disappointment his loyal retainers must be suffering now! Such heartache!"

"That means Akechi is not taking part in Oda's invasion of Kyushu," Kojuro concluded, ignoring Yukimura's outbreak.

"According to reports," Sasuke continued. It's not just him. Two others have been conspicuous in their absence. Oda's wife, Nohime, and an archer named Ranmaru."

" _Mori Ranmaru…"_ The men focused on Kaminari, Shingen, Yukimura and Sasuke with slightly wide eyes as this was the first time they had heard her speak and also the first time they had heard someone talk right inside their heads. _"He is not to be underestimated. He is only a kid, but very talented and loyal to Nobunaga. Much like Mitsuhide, he does not see battle and fighting as something with great consequences. He wants to fight for the Oda Clan's cause, having fun on the battlefield all the while. Not in the sinister way, though. More like a normal kid playing with its favorite toy. Nobunaga favors him for some reason."_

"Well, the bulk of his force has attacked Kyushu. It is possible he dispatched those other three as assassins against us. As our forces are still recovering and regrouping after Nagashino," Shingen presumed.

"Crush the Eastern Alliance and take us down, one by one," Kojuro added.

"In that case, who will be their next target? Old Man Takeda, yours truly," Masamune counted, pointing to himself. "Or maybe…"

"Kenshin-dono," Sasuke finished. "I've sent him word."

"Alright now. Before we continue this, there's something interesting you guys oughta be interested in," Masamune announced.

"What are you referring to, Date-dono?" Masamune grinned at his rival.

"The true identity of Akechi Mitsuhide. Kaminari's given me some real interesting news 'bout that bastard."

"Next to no one knows where Akechi Mitsuhide is originally from. They say he is from the Saitou Clan in Mino, but there has been no evidence," Sasuke provided.

"That's 'cause apparently he was a creepy little incarnation of some bastard hundred or so years ago. Kaminari told me he had quite a bad taste where his food's concerned. The guts of people. Also has a brother, but she never saw 'im."

"If such is the case, would it not imply Akechi Mitsuhide being a demon?" Yukimura asked. Kaminari nodded.

"That son of a bitch was merciless, even back then, not taking orders from anyone. But he'd also scuttle whenever it didn't look so good. Tell me what ya want, I say she's tellin' the truth, it all fits that sly monster too well to be a coincidence," Masamune stated. The others clearly weighed the options in their heads.

"But if Akechi is really a bloodthirsty demon, then how are we supposed to be able to fight him?" Sasuke then asked.

"He was defeated and forced to hide once. His brother's nowhere to be seen so we can take this chance and-…" From the corner of his good eye, he caught sight of Kaminari tensing up. "What's up?" he asked.

" _I can sense an immense amount of bloodlust coming from…"_ She wavered shortly, before pointing between Yukimura and Sasuke. _"Around there, far, far away."_

"That's north, right?" Yukimura said.

"Is it at the border?" Kojuro asked. She shook her head, lowering her hand.

" _No, I don't sense any men of the Takeda Clan. It's further away…"_ She went over the map of provinces in her head until realization finally came. _"It's coming from Echigo!"_

"Speaking of the devil, hu?" Masamune frowned.

"Sasuke!" Shingen called.

"I'm on it!" And he was gone.

"Hopefully, he makes it in time," Yukimura murmured. Thunder shook the estate as rain pounded any surface it could reach. Thus, the meeting was over.

* * *

Shingen wasted no time going outside to stand under the roofed porch, watching out over the landscape. Yukimura also went outside to the dry landscape garden Masamune had previously trained in to test out the new spear Shingen had given him to replace the one that broke in Nagashino. And the rooms were just too narrow for him to be completely free in his training. His breath came out in short huffs, visible in the cold air for few short seconds, before disappearing again.

Masamune, Kaminari and Kojuro had retreated to their room. Kaminari had turned her head to the closed shoji screens.

"Sounds like one hell of a storm," Masamune commented into the silence. Kojuro nodded in agreement. They heard some commotion outside, soon followed by Shingen's billowing voice ordering to move out for aid.

"Wonder what's going on," Masamune murmured. Kaminari gasped and her arms shot up to hug herself as her face twisted into a fearful grimace. Alarmed, Kojuro and Masamune turned to her.

"What's wrong?" Masamune demanded.

" _Kageromaru… He is closing in!"_ Kojuro and Masamune shared a short glance, both coming to a decision.

"Kaminari-sama," Kojuro started. "Maybe this would be a good opportunity to go into hiding and gather some energy from the storm at the same time." She could see what he meant. Fly up into the clouds, let them hide her from sight and absorb the electrical energy to restore her own. Then she would scout Mitsuhide for them and show them where he was coming from, using the special connection she and Masamune had, the real reason she was called his Foresight…

She nodded and let Kojuro carry her outside, where she transformed and, with some difficulty due to her unusable hind legs, ascended to the cloudy skies, using her tail to lift her up from the ground, instead. She could sense the clouds as she flew through them and twirled around to gather all the energy the lightning provided.

Down below, Masamune had joined Kojuro on the porch and watched how a claw or the tip of her tail would occasionally show itself from the cover of clouds.

"I don't like this," he said, his eye narrowing. Kojuro nodded.

"Me neither, but we don't have a choice. Masamune-sama, you should get ready."

"Yeah, yeah." Kojuro closed the screen again, while Masamune sat down against a wall, his legs slightly bent, his right arm resting on his right knee as he watched Kojuro sit down opposite of him.

"Here we go." And Masamune closed his eye, calling to the connection with his friend. It started with an increasing feeling of cold, then he felt like he was drenched to the bone, which made him freeze even more as he flew at a fast pace through the sky. He couldn't see a damn thing, but then his sight shifted and distant, colorful bubbles moved upwards into his vision as Kaminari turned her head down. There were many red bubbles of which one of extraordinary size and bright color stood out the most. In the bubble, a tiger reared its head and roared. The Tiger of Kai. He could also make out a steady and very strong and turbulent stream of blue, a river. The bubbles -auras- scurried back and forth to the river, but wait. There was a fine line of purple and green separating the Takeda men and the river, though it was very faint. The red auras were all shadowed by fear.

" _What's happening?"_ Masamune asked.

" _It appears the rain is causing the water level to rise, threatening to destroy a dike. That purple on the dam is Kageromaru's, no, Mitsuhide's aura, no doubt. He has definitely done someth- There he is!"_ A sickly purple-greenish aura closed in on the men trying to save the dam, and fast. It swirled with what Masamune instinctively recognized as amusement and satisfaction, yet yearning for more. Akechi Mitsuhide!

" _Return immediately! I will show you the way to the dike!"_ Kaminari said. Obeying, Masamune cut the connection and back at the mansion his eye flew open.

"Masamune-sama?" Ignoring the inquisitiveness, Masamune stood up and marched to the doors.

"Get ready to depart, Kojuro!" he ordered, slamming the screens open to see Kaminari waiting, circling the sky. He could see she was trying to absorb as much of the storm as possible, not only to replenish her energy but also to make the storm stop sooner, therefore lowering the burden placed on the strained dike.

"Yes!" Kojuro followed hot on Masamune's heels as they made their way to the stables with long strides.

"Where are Yoshinao and the rest?"

"They are with the Tiger Cub, assisting with the reinforcement of a dike."

"Perfect." Only moments later, their horses were ready and on the road.

" _Hurry! Mitsuhide and Shingen are fighting right next to the dike!"_ Masamune loved that Kojuro didn't ask any questions, having interpreted the situation as too urgent. Fortunately, the dike was only a short ways away and soon enough they could hear the clash of metal against metal. They jumped off their horses and ran up to the small cliffside, looking down onto the battle.

"The bastard!" Masamune growled. It wasn't hard to read the situation. Many men were trying to save the dike while Shingen had his back to them, protecting the dike and his men, but he was dangerously close to it with Mitsuhide pushing against him relentlessly, having no qualms about fighting seriously. If Shingen were to make serious, it would mean the dike's destruction. Not to mention that Oda's general had already sabotaged it and thus made it that much more vulnerable.

Mitsuhide jumped away from Shingen and green light swirled around him. Lashing out with his scythe, he created such a strong wind, his opponents were forced to dig their heels in to remain standing. Just as the wind let up a huge crack appeared in a boulder in the dike, causing he masses of water to shoot through and resulting in further damage of the dike as smaller rocks got loose as well. In a quick chain reaction, the dike burst and water flooded the battlefield. The men tried to save themselves to the save shore, but the current was strong and the shore steep and muddy from the rain. In all this chaos, Mitsuhide went almost unnoticed as he jumped at the Takeda general standing in the water, trying not to lose his balance, and buried the tip of his scythe in Shingen's left shoulder. He retreated it and jumped to the safe land, using Shingen as stepstone, also resulting in Shingen to fall into the current completely.

"Oyakata-sama!" Yukimura called from his position up on the construction pillars of what was most likely supposed to be a well of sorts, and moved to dive into the current, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Turning to the owner of the hand, he found Masamune frowning at him.

"You really wanna risk your life an' let a potential threat to these lands run wild?!" Masamune yelled.

"But-…!"

"Kaminari'll get him further downstream! Now you need to focus on protecting your people!" He didn't like it, but Yukimura could see Masamune's point. He could already see Oyakata-sama scolding him for almost neglecting his duty like that. Begrudgingly, Yukimura nodded his consent and followed Masamune back to the shore, where Kojuro waited for them. Glaring at Mitsuhide, who now stood on the other side of the river, Masamune murmured to Yukimura.

"Run downstream. Kaminari'll appear when she's sure Mitsuhide won't go after her. Keep running until she resurfaces with Old Man Tiger and try to help as many as possible." Yukimura did not need to be told twice. With him gone, Masamune and Kojuro went into battle position.

"Akechi Mitsuhide!" Kojuro growled.

"Sick freak! You will _not_ walk away from here. Not until I've ripped out your throat for what you've done!"

"So you live after all" A sick grin of delight and anticipation stretched over his face. "One-Eyed Dragon!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Happy New Year!** Man, it's already 2019? 2013 still feels new to me XD

Thanks to **Imaginaryfriends4ever** for following and favoriting! Hope, we're gonna be friends 4ever too. ^^

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Path to Revenge**

"Ever done to indulge in the afterglow of a kill," Mitsuhide commented, Shingen's blood still dripping from his blade.

"His eyes were like that when he killed Azai. He's out of his freaking mind!" Masamune said to himself. He could hear neighing and the thunder of hundreds of hooves behind him as his army came up behind him. He glanced up at the sky. Kaminari was still up there, waiting for an opportunity to arise to safely go after the Tiger of Kai, while she already followed the stream to catch him swiftly and as soon as possible.

"Big Boss, Boss Katakura!" A man called just as Bunshichi was lifted out of the turbulent river by Yoshinao.

"Quickly! Move downstream with everybody else!" Kojuro ordered, the soldiers quick to do as told.

"Kojuro, we ain't holding back this time!"

"Got it! Let's put this rabid dog down!" A storm of blue erupted from them both, Masamune's darker than Kojuro's, but it immediately mingled like it was the most natural thing to do. And they charged, leaving the earth they had previously stood on in pieces, cluttering into the stream. Masamune had switched to take three of his Claws into his right hand which he now used to assault Mitsuhide with, along with Kojuro. From the peripheral of his vision, he could see Kaminari's long body emerging from the clouds and diving into the river far away from their fight.

"DEATH FANG!"

Both Masamune's and Kojuro's attack hit Mitsuhide, ripping of his shoulder protectors. They landed perfectly symmetrical to each other, proof of their close friendship. Behind them, Mitsuhide swayed from one side to the other, giggling.

"Magnificent!" The One-Eyed dragon and the Right Eye tensed. Mitsuhide turned around with an expression of pure bliss and pleasure. "I doubt there have been many fortunate enough to taste the swords of both the One-Eyed Dragon _and_ his Right Eye." Still smiling, he lifted his bloody scythe to the skies as he was bathed in a purple light, only to swing it down again, releasing light green bolts of light, shooting in random directions, one of those being right between Kojuro and Masamune. They jumped out of harms way, unintentionally giving Mitsuhide the time he needed to jump to the other shore side, where his horse stood.

"Shit!" Masamune cursed, turning to see Mitsuhide sitting on his horse.

"Just enjoyed a treat called the Tiger of Kai and overeating is not healthy!" His horse made to leave. "Plus, you still have a most important role to play."

"I have a what?" Masamune wondered confused, watching the still giggling Mitsuhide disappear.

"Masamune-sama, shall we pursue him?"

"…Nah, leave him, should just be glad that freak didn't notice Kaminari. Sure didn't exaggerate 'bout him, though. That guy's impossibly a human." Kojuro nodded in agreement. "Let's go see how Old Man's doing."

They mounted their horses and rode downstream, looking for the Tiger Cub's bright red clothing, having no doubt that Kaminari had already retrieved the old Tiger.

By the time they found them, the waterflow had calmed down considerably and the village had been flooded completely. On the shore to both sides were soldiers from his army and what appeared to be the villagers with what little they had found the time to save. Most likely some of his men, who had been late in following them, had been ordered by Kaminari to evacuate the village. And there was also…

"Oyakata-sama! OYAKATA-SAMA!"

With pity Masamune looked down as Yukimura shook Shingen lifeless body again and again. Kaminari hovered over the Tiger, glowing in a faint light in her efforts to heal Shingen's wounds. Her lower body was still in the water, reaching to the other shore to save any men still in the current. Her head rose in his direction, before she hung her head again.

" _I've done my best, but I'm afraid…I'm at my limit,"_ Kaminari uttered weakly, only barely managing to transform into her human form again, before she collapsed into the dirt.

* * *

Back at the mansion, it was eerily silent. Soldiers of the Takeda had gathered in front of the room Shingen rested in, some even standing in the everlasting rain. Masamune had carried Kaminari into a different room down some corridors, which became a similar sight with the Date soldiers gathering there. Ordering his retainers to keep an eye on her, Masamune left with Kojuro to join Sasuke in an adjoining room to Shingen's resting quarters, the sliding door to said room open, allowing them to see the crestfallen Yukimura sit at his master's side. Sasuke had only recently returned with news of Uesugi Kenshin's defeat at the hands of Nohime and Ranmaru.

"One of my ninjas has just returned with information," Sasuke began, addressing the One-Eyed Dragon and his Right Eye, though the former never even looked at him. "It seems the Devil King is headed for Yamashiro." He paused, waiting for a response. When none came, he continued. "Honnou-ji is out of the way. He may be going home before his invasion of the Inland Sea."

"Most likely," Kojuro surmised, gaining Masamune's attention. "It is a trap. Mori and Chosokabe should not be of immediate concern to Oda, as they have maintained a local equilibrium. But we, the Eastern Forces, who have clearly demonstrated our hostility, _should_ be his target. I imagine the Devil King only invaded Kyushu, when he did, because he knew we were unable to mobilize following the battle at Nagashino. However, Oda's surprise attack against the south must have tested their metal. It certainly sent a clear massage. That the Giants of the Inland Sea will inevitably be trampled by him."

"So then, even if that Maeda Vagabond somehow managed to make any headway with them, it's most likely already far too late," Sasuke noted.

"For all intents, the Inland Sea is Oda's now. He can simply attack them whenever it is convenient for him. But with the Tiger of Kai and the War God of Echigo out of the way, the far better opportunity for him now would be to wipe _us_ out."

"Makes sense. So, he's gone to Yamashiro to show his back to us and lure us all in." Sasuke's gaze wandered to the defeated Tiger and its Cub. "It's worth mentioning that the remnants of Tokugawa and Azai's forces _both_ wish to avenge their Daimyos. They're prepared to die in battle long as it means a shot at Oda. That sentiment is bound to grow in the Uesugi camp. And, of course, the Takeda camp, as well."

"Crush everyone rushing in, bent on revenge, in one fell swoop. A valid strategy, but" Kojuro's gaze was fixated on the Tiger as well. "Whether for frontal assaults or surprise attacks, without exception, Oda crushes his opponents in an single onslaught, so why this plot to assassinate the other generals?!"

"Maybe after Nagashino," Sasuke thought. "He decided our alliance was troublesome, after all."

"That could be part of it, but more so, with this method I sense a desire to make sport of war and of people's hearts. Mocking the exasperations of innocence and trampling them to seize their land until they have nothing left but the unquenchable thirst for revenge." Kojuro's gaze hardened. "This obscenity is not of the Devil King, it is most likely-…"

"Kojuro." Kojuro turned to Masamune. "I wanna fall into their trap," Masamune exclaimed turning to him.

"Why would you want…?"

"Doesn't matter who came up with the crappy plan," he said facing away again. "Even if it was that son of a bitch Akechi. Oda will be there!" Kojuro opened his mouth, whether in shock or to protest remained unclear as Masamune continued. "I get what that bastard meant now. I've been chosen as the Supreme Commander of the force he plans to defeat in one fell swoop." His eye narrowed. "Screw that. He's played me for a fool every step of the way, starting with the abduction of my Foresight. Akechi once held the power of life and death over me, I gotta make him pay for _that_ , too." He uncrossed his arms and stood up from where he sat with crossed legs.

"Masamune-sama, Oda will soo lose patience and start attacking us separately. We need this time to fully prepare ourselves! If we do so, depending on the success of Maeda Keiji at the Inland Sea, we may be able to encircle Oda!"

"Oda already knows what Takeda and the Monkey Boy would ply, so it's not much of a plan now. Throwing away men to encircle an enemy who is on to what we're doing, ain't gonna get us anywhere," Masamune explained, looking down at Kojuro with a grin.

"But our opponent is too great to just rush head on into their midst. We must be cautious." Masamune stemmed a hand against his hip.

"What's the matter, Kojuro? This is how we always roll, since before we took control of Ôshu." Kojuro remained silent. "Listen, I'm gettin' the feeling you think you're personally responsible for the bullet I took in my gut at Nagashino." Again, Kojuro didn't say anything to either confirm or naysay his words. "But what you're in charge of, is guarding my back. Got it?" Now Kojuro stared up at him with wide eyes.

"Masamune-sama, you're not…!" Masamune turned his head way from his second in command and towards where Shingen rested.

"So, Sanada Yukimura, what about you? Figured you'd be the first one to go charging out there spears swinging."

"Oyakata-sama, I…" Yukimura closed his eyes and hung his head in shame. "Can you forgive…me?" He paused, silence filled the room. "When Akechi Mitsuhide launched his surprise attack, I-…"

"Sanada-danna!"Sasuke called loudly, standing up and marching up to him. "The enemy will always come after what you cherish most. That's how the Takeda _and_ the Date _both_ have risen to power in these turbulent times. It goes both ways. You must know that. Just look at Kaminari-dono!"

"I've never…struck down a foe except on the field of battle. Nor have I ever considered actions that would involve unarmed commoners…"

"Then get angry about it! Or do you plan to just hang your head by Oyakata-sama's bedside and wait for Oda to crush us?!" Crouching down to be at eye-level, Sasuke asked, his voice steadily rising "You think, you're the only one who feels like doing something?!"

"I do not know what I am supposed to do. I feel helpless." Yukimura's voice was little more than a whisper at the end as he closed his eyes again, having opened them sometime, and shivered. His right hand grabbed his left lower arm in an futile attempt to stop the trembling. "I've never been so scared!" Lightning lit up the room for a moment.

"I almost envy the guy," Masamune uttered. He turned away from the scene and slammed open the doors leading outside. Speechless, the Takeda men let him through. His retainers, wanting to see him for further instructions spotted him immediately.

"Hey, Big Boss!" Yoshinao called.

"We going to battle?" Samenosuke asked excited.

"About time!" Magobei complained. They ran up to him, waiting expectantly for the order to move out. For a while, the rain and the opening of a door, courtesy to Sasuke's curiosity, were the only sounds filling the yard.

"It's all over, boys," Masamune announced solemnly. "Break it up. AS OF THIS MOMENT, THE DATE ARMY OF ÔSHU IS NO MORE!" To say, his men were flabbergasted was an understatement. They had literally frozen and all they could utter was: "Eh?" Masamune continued on his way as if it was no big deal what he had done.

"Where are you going, One-Eyed Dragon?" Sasuke shouted. Masamune stopped again and turned around, grinning.

"To Honnou-ji, where do you think?" He lifted his left arm and pointed to himself with his thumb. "And I swear I'm not gonna rest until I take the Devil King's head myself!"

"What's this about?" Magobei asked confused.

"But Big Boss!" Samenosuke tried to protest.

"We'll come with you!" Yoshinao insisted, running to him as he turned to leave again. But Masamune simply cut off his hair in one smooth motion, smugly grinning to himself, before sheathing it again and facing them.

"Sorry, boys, this just ain't that kinda party."

"Big Boss, why…?" Yoshinao whispered shocked.

"Date-dono!" Yukimura called, jumping to his side, thus standing between Masamune and his retainers. "What are you doing? These men live for your sake! They swore they would not die until they had seized the land with you! Even when they were buried under that temple, they survived by sheer force of will! They were invaluable!"

"Oh, so that's the argument you're going with? _You're_ the one who's willing to give up without a fight!" Masamune stated, closing in on the Tiger Cub. Grabbing the mon coins around Yukimura's neck, he pulled him closer. "These coins, I guess they're just for decoration!" He growled. "Ready payment for the river of hell. First time I met you that's what I think they meant. But what do you know, I guess I was wrong about you!" He pushed Yukimura back again, making him stumble and once again moved to leave.

"Take good care of Kaminari for me, you lot!"

"Big Boss!" Yoshinao called, again trying to follow Masamune, along with the others, but…

"Let him go!" They froze in their spots and turned around to face Kojuro standing on the porch.

"Boss Katakura!" Bunshichi exclaimed.

"This is Masamune-sama's decision." Changing the topic, Kojuro stated. "Oda has come at us with cheap tricks, a far cry from how warriors are supposed to fight! He has made a mockery of the pride and dignity of all generals everywhere! And as a general, he can no longer let the Devil King and his henchmen get away with it."

"But he doesn't have to go alone," Bunshichi argued.

"Your thoughts, Sanada Yukimura?"

"Needless to say, I share Date-dono's sentiments," He answered softly. "But for me, personally, Oyakata-sama means absolutely everything! A future without Oyakata-sama, it holds no meaning for me. If I were to leave his side now, while I'm gone, if the worst should happen..."

"You should not underestimate the Tiger of Kai," Kojuro simply said, passing by Sasuke still standing in the doorframe to Shingen's room and entered. He walked up to the futon where Shingen lie and kneeled down.

"Forgive me, Shingen-dono." And he pulled down the kimono he was covered with. What it revealed stunned everyone present. But no one more than the Cub. Shingen's fist was tightly clenched in defiant.

"How long have you been at Takeda's side?" Kojuro asked, his gaze now moving from the Tiger to the Cub. "He would never succumb to an injury such as this. You should know that more than anyone, Sanada Yukimura." Ashamed, Yukimura nodded, his eyes focused at his master. Kojuro did not need to have the same aura reading ability Kaminari had in order to see the fighting spirit return to Yukimura with a vengeance.

"Oyakata-sama!" Kojuro could only guess that that was his goodbye to Shingen as he then rushed to retrieve his spears and only barely caught Masamune, who had already found his helmet and horse, including saddle, handlebars and everything.

"One-Eyed Dragon, wait for me!" Coming to a slippery halt, no thanks to the rain, he glared into Masamune's eye with a renewed passion that was impossible to overlook. "I shall keep you company."

"Ha! Alright," Masamune grinned, right hand wandering to the hilt of one of his Claws. Taking note of that, Yukimura immediately swung his spear, flames blazing at the tips, as Masamune unsheathed his sword accompanied with blue lightning bolts. Their blades met loudly and stayed that way, though they didn't apply pressure on them.

"Sanada Yukimura," Masamune started, appearing to all the world as though he was having a whole lot of fun. "Time to bare your fangs! You've honed them with the Tiger of Kai, now sink them into the throats of your foe!"

"My fangs are sharp!" Yukimura replied, also grinning. "They are the knowledge and wisdom of Oyakata-sama's teachings! They are held strong in my heart!"

"That's the spirit!" As if on cue, fire shot down from the spear to surround Yukimura and lightning bolts engulfed Masamune from the sword. Both energies twirled around each other, higher and higher into the sky until it met the blockade of clouds which it simply pierced through, leaving a giant hole in its wake. And then they were on their way, galloping through the woods with Masamune at the front.

"It's the last party and it's just you and me, let's go enjoy ourselves!"

"I could ask no more. Without fail, you and I will take the Devil King's head!"

"The enemy…is at Honnou-ji!" They called in chorus, leaving nothing but dust in their wake.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry for being late, holidays were a pain in the ass.

Thanks to **mizzmuzz** for following and favoriting. ^^

 **Disclaimer:** I own neither show, I'm simply taking advantage of these characters 'cause I'm too damn lazy to create my own.

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Honnou-ji**

"This party is invitation only, Yukimura, so you better be ready to kick some serious ass!"

"My heart burns bright with the passion of battle! I shall face whatever awaits at Honnou-ji with all my might!"

Unrelenting they pushed their horses forward, simply jumping over whatever obstacle decided to block their path, keeping their focus on the grim clouds in the distance, no doubt in their minds that the Devil King was there.

 _Old Man Takeda, don't kick off just yet. I'm protecting the land we're gonna fight over. But that one comes later. First, I'm gonna make Oda pay for what he's done!_

* * *

Back at the Takeda household, the rain still had not stopped, reflecting the mood of its inhabitants. After cracking the Cub's skull back into its former stubborn position, Kojuro had left to watch over Kaminari, who lie on a futon, new bandages covering her eyes. She seemed to have a nightmare, always writhing and throwing the kimono covering her off of her. A tray with barely touched food sat on the other side of her futon, a safe distance away from her.

Kojuro looked up to see Kaminari trying to sit up. He instantly moved to support her, his arm around her shoulders to keep her up.

"Kaminari-sama, you should rest!" Kojuro insisted, ignoring her question for now.

" _Where is Masamune-sama? The Tiger Cub is also missing."_

"Masamune-sama and Sanada Yukimura are on their way to Honnou-ji to take the Devil King's head." Kaminari's eyebrow rose from under her bandage.

" _Just those two?! Why didn't anyone try to stop them or at least go with them? Don't try to fool me, I can sense Yoshinao, Samenosuke, Bunshichi and Magobei still here in the residence!"_

"Masamune-sama disbanded the Date Army-…"

" _He did WHAT?"_ The corners of her mouth twisted into a snarl. _"Why did you let him do that?! He is gonna get killed, it's exactly like when I died!"_ Remaining calm, Kojuro answered.

"Masamune-sama wished to rejuvenate the fallen fighting spirit in Sanada Yukimura." He grinned at her, his aura showing his confidence. "Besides, he never said anything about not banding up again." Her mouth fell open to an 'o' shape. Letting a few seconds pass by, she smiled in understanding.

" _Then what are we waiting for? Though don't expect me to go easy on him when we catch up."_

* * *

"Big Boss…" Yoshinao sniffed. The Date Army had gathered in a big room, all hanging their heads from the previous events and showing a surprisingly soft side for such wild guys.

Noticing the stares his three friends directed at him, Yoshinao wiped away the tears ( _tears!_ ) gathering in the corners of his eyes.

"So, umm…" They just nodded. They did not need to discuss what they planned to do. All four of them stood up. "OK, now listen up! You-…" He was interrupted by the sound of heavy armor coming closer, pause for a moment, before Katakura Kojuro slammed the screens open with both hands.

"On your feet, men, prepare for battle!" He shouted. Perplexed, everyone just stared at him.

"Boss Katakura…" Samenosuke murmured.

"What are you all still sitting here for? I gave you an order!"

"Yeah, but Boss…" Magobei started, looking up at Bunshichi, who continued.

"The Big Boss said the Date Army was disbanded."

"Just come with me." Turning back to him, they saw him smile understandingly. "Oh, come on, like you weren't gonna do it anyways!"

Stepping out into the rain like Kojuro had demanded, the first thing they saw was Kojuro's horse all saddled up and ready with a smiling Kaminari sitting on top, both her legs hanging from the horse's left side. Following the Boss further, he led them to the gate of the estate, which had already been opened. And the sight that greeted them left their mouths agape in disbelief.

Hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers from all over the country had gathered in front of the Takeda residence, despite the non stopping rain. Not just the Takeda forces. The Tokugawa troops from Mikawa, Uesugi's soldiers from Echigo, proud soldiers of justice from Oumi hoisting the Azai crest.

"H-Holy!" Samenosuke could not believe it.

"All these men, why are they here?" Yoshinao asked Kojuro, who just stood there, arms crossed, appearing to all the world like nothing was wrong, but rather going well to his favor.

"Right about when I called, everyone who _should_ have stayed in this, came together. Even those who have been laying low until now. And Masamune-sama never said word one about us not being allowed to band together again." Turning to the four, he added "Am I wrong?" The realization and anticipation of what that implied let their faces bright up again.

"You're the best, Boss!" Magobei exclaimed.

"Let's go kick some ass!" Bunshichi shouted, throwing his arm around Magobei and the fist of the other arm into the air. His shout was met with passionate war cries of the gathered soldiers from the other territories.

The horses were already geared up and ready to go as the Date Army went to mount them. Kojuro sat on his horse with Kaminari behind him, who had shouldered a bow and a quiver full with arrows.

"We ride for Honnou-ji in the land of Yamashiro! We shall guard Masamune-sama's and Sanada's rear. And we will rout Oda's forces to the very last man!" the Date Army was the first to give their eager response, followed by the other armies. And they headed out.

* * *

While the allied forces were making their way there, Masamune and Yukimura were already in sight of Honnou-ji. Yukimura had already replaced the reigns of the horse with his spears and Masamune had drawn one of his Claws.

"There's our target, coming into view now," Masamune stated, before turning to Yukimura. "You ready for this?"

"Though a hundred arrows may come flying at me, I shall not stop!"

"Good, good!" They galloped straight towards the gate. Foot soldiers came forward with spears, attempting to stop them. "We got no business with them, we're going straight in!"

"Sounds like a plan."

The soldiers were clearly scared out of their wits when they showed no sign of slowing down and simply watched with wide open mouths as the intruders jumped over the gate like it was nothing at all. Before the horses even hit the ground on the other side of the gate, Masamune and Yukimura had already jumped off of their horses, landing simultaneously some feet in front of them.

"Big Boss of Ôshu, Date Masamune! I'm here for the Devil King's head!"

"I'm Takeda general, Sanada Genjiro Yukimura! Come forth, Oda Nobunaga! And your generals as well!" Several doors of the buildings to the yard slammed open, revealing dozens and dozens of simple soldiers. "Let's have a fair fight!" The soldiers charged.

Considering the number of enemies, Masamune drew the rest of his Claws, striking enemies left, right and center with lightning while Yukimura unleashed his flames on any unfortunate soul that came too close.

"When you ain't coming out…" Masamune started.

"WE ARE COMING IN FOR YOU!" They finished together. Another explosion of red and blue went off.

"Oda faction! If you call yourselves warriors, come out here and accept this challenge!" Yukimura shouted. Masamune had already made his way to the roofed pathway leading to the main building.

"Alright, where the hell are you, Devil King? How about you, Akechi?!"

Neither answered his challenge as he had to fight off the small foot soldiers instead. It took some time, but they eventually made it to the main building. Opening the gate, they rushed into the giant room laid out with at least twenty tatami mats. There were no lights whatsoever apart from the moonlight and the torches outside shining in through the open door.

"They are nowhere to be found!"

"Crap! What is this?" Masamune asked slightly pissed. There was a huge sort of altar in front of them with a ginormous golden, humanoid skull. That thing was easily twice as big as them! And the silence… Their nerves were skyrocketing from the tension. Even the slightest sound would cause them to jump. Hearing steps coming closer, they turned around to face the entrance. A chuckle.

"Now I get it." Rage made itself evident on Yukimura's expression.

"Akechi Mitsuhide!" Chuckling, Mitsuhide entered the room, now wielding two identical scythes.

"You kept us waiting long enough," Masamune complained. "Where the hell is the Devil King hiding?"

"It would seem" Mitsuhide tilted his head to the side, a sick grin once again on his face. "that _I'm_ the one who has fallen into Oda's little trap." The gate fell shut behind him. Soon after, the dumb thuds of arrows hitting wood reached their ears. A choking smell entered their noses. Fire.

 _Truly a Devil King_ , Masamune thought.

"How fitting, you've been forsaken."

"What do you mean by that?" Yukimura wanted to know. Mitsuhide's expression was hidden from view by his hair.

"The Nobunaga we arrived was a decoy. The Devil King isn't even here. Oda Nobunaga wants all of us to _kill_ each other here in Honnou-ji." Struck by disbelief, Yukimura could only stare, his mouth open.

"Kicho, it seems I have underestimated you. The feelings that one has missed out on the finest feast, is truly abysm," Mitsuhide murmured.

"So your plan was to take out the Devil King alongside us, seize the land for yourself," Masamune concluded.

"I have no interest in the land. A man who calls himself the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven, attacked by a swarming force, bent on revenge… I want him to scream, I want to hear him beg for his life." Splinters fell from the roof. "And finally, to take that life" he lifted his arms like he wanted to hug himself, but was unable to due to the heavy scythes in his hands. His eyes were closed as he imagined the pleasure to come, head thrown back. "With these hands!"

"But how can this be?!" Yukimura asked incredulously. "What kind of general would wish to betray and kill his own lord?!"

"And that lord is trying to kill _him_ , as well," Masamune added. "It's crazy, I know. They kinda deserve each other. Though this ain't the first time he tried to kill someone that was supposed to be his master. Isn't that right, Akechi, or should I call you Kageromaru?" Mitsuhide tilted his head curiously.

"Interesting. I've only borne that name for a day or so a century ago. How did you hear of it? Unless" His grin spread as he broke into a fit of cackling. Masamune and Yukimura tensed. "I see now! Never would I have stopped to think that that pet dragon of yours was that delicious little miko from back then! We thought she was dead for sure! To think we had the Shikon no Tama literally within reach…! Oh, the irony!"

"Question is: Why do you even obey Oda?"

"Who knows? Maybe it's for the fun?" Masamune's eye narrowed as Mitsuhide walked towards them.

"Here it comes."

"This pent up frenzy within me" A green aura surrounded him for a moment, before it died down again, not without emitting a creepy laughter, though. "I shall take the liberty of venting it upon you!"

His pace quickened into a run. His eyes wide, a grimace of a grin plastered on his face. He spun around, gaining momentum to attack Masamune, a blow which he parried. Mitsuhide immediately targeted Yukimura, but he blocked as well. Using his other spear, he attempted to stab Mitsuhide's head. Mitsuhide dodged to the right and backed away, twirling in circles as he did. Masamune charged, but Mitsuhide parried his blow, swinging his scythes now at Masamune, putting him on the defensive instead. But he did not stuck to this strategy for long, before he charged at Yukimura again. Sparks flew as they exchanged blows, neither one drawing blood from the other. Then Yukimura got pushed back. Now Yukimura and Masamune charge at Mitsuhide at the same time. Yukimura from the front and Masamune from behind Mitsuhide. But he was having none of that, using his scythes to stop _both_ of them. All movement ceased for a moment as they stood there. The white hair of the Oda general settled back on his shoulders, now that everything had calmed down enough. His head was facing the ground.

"Not bad…" His head rose, revealing his ever so sick face. "I'm rather enjoying myself."

His green energy lit up again, forcing Masamune and Yukimura to back off. Cackling, Mitsuhide spun in circles, sending his green energy in scythe like blades all over the place. The gate was hit by several of them, bursting open to the burning yard outside to which Mitsuhide jumped out. Yukimura followed hot on his heels with Masamune somewhat behind. Pointing his spear accusingly at Mitsuhide, Yukimura spoke up.

"Akechi Mitsuhide, the sneak attack you launched on Oyakata-sama, as well as the pain you caused the people of Kai and Aoi-dono, will be avenged!" he charged again, crossing blades with the hostile general. Sparks flew over the already burning battlefield. Mitsuhide quickly gained the upper hand and used his scythes to throw the Cub into a stone lantern, which broke, sending Yukimura flying until he hit the ground, just inches away from the wall. Mitsuhide was not grinning anymore.

"Young Cub, honest to a fault. Unlike the Tiger of Kai, I need no trickery to put you down."

"Don't get too fired up, Yukimura." Masamune stepped up behind Mitsuhide. "Let's play this cool," he calmly said, though hatred and the desire to wring this bastard out like a soaked cloth burned deep within him as well.

"I-…I much oblige, Date-dono!" Mitsuhide chuckled amused.

"Though given this fire, that would be a tricky proposition," he stated. Masamune responded by drawing his Six Dragon Claws. Both engulfing themselves with their respective element, they crossed blades. Their turbulent aura left neither unscathed, leaving scratches in their opponents armor.

"Oh, how it hurts," Mitsuhide taunted. "I would expect no less of you, who you were reared by a dragon. You make the very marrow of my bones quiver!"

Masamune jumped back and not a moment too late as a shower of arrows went down where he had been previously.

 _These ain't Kaminari's…_

A little boy landed next to Mitsuhide.

"Ranmaru," Mitsuhide exclaimed surprised.

 _So this the kid Kaminari mentioned?_

"You know, I really don't like you very much," Ranmaru said, aiming an arrow. "but I pity you. So I'll help." He pouted at Mitsuhide. " _But_ you gotta apologize to Oda!" Masamune huffed.

"Well, isn't he a thoughtful little runt."

"I must admit, I feel rather conflicted about this."

 _You have no idea, man._

"'Cause you make things harder than they need to be," Masamune answered, his gaze fixated on Ranmaru, who now also focused on him, releasing the arrow. The very same arrow laid in the dirt only an instant later, cut in half by Masamune. Courtesy to his training with Kaminari who had proven to be a mistress of the skills of archery. "When you get down to it," he continued, cutting each and every arrow coming his way, each faster than the normal eye should be able to see. "No one's completely in the right here." His eye followed Ranmaru's movements as the boy ran around, trying to get a better angle at him. Until Masamune had his back to Mitsuhide. "It's only when you keep your eye on the future, that these injustices become just. 'S the way of the times.

"He. How far I have fallen to gun of the pity of a child." Yukimura turned to Mitsuhide. "I understand. I shall offer a heartfelt apology to Nobunaga-kou."

* * *

In the meantime, the allied forces were coming closer to Honnou-ji. Kaminari held onto Kojuro as much as possible and concentrated on the several auras she felt. The ones she felt in distance, which they were steadily closing in on, caught her attention the most.

" _Kojuro-sama, something is not right."_

"What exactly do you mean?" He asked over his shoulder.

" _One of Uesugi's men, it seems. But…they're coming from the sky…? A woman…"_

"Uesugi's ninja," Kojuro stated. "Ninja of the Takeda!" Sasuke immediately appeared next to them, keeping up with the galloping horse quite nicely.

"What's up, Right Eye of the Dragon?" He grinned.

"Kaminari-sama says that Uesugi's ninja is closing in from the sky." Sasuke's grin vanished.

"Got it." And he was gone. Moments later a female scream could be heard, soon followed with an explosion. When the scream abruptly died, Kojuro surmised that Takeda's ninja had caught her. Said ninja came back to him with most shocking news.

"Oda Nobunaga is at Mount Azuchi."

* * *

"UUUAAAAHHH!" Another rain of arrows rained down on Masamune, which he easily protected himself from.

"Stay outta this, kid!"

"Shut up, jerk, I'm not a kid!"

 _You insufferable little brat!_ Masamune was pissed. When the boy came back to the ground, he was already there, towering over him, his eye glinting a dangerous blue. Not able to move away in time, Ranmaru was blown through the doors into the building behind him. Wincing, Ranmaru got up slowly, his body aching all over. His face soon contorted from pain to pure horror as he saw the tip of the blade pointed at him.

"Time to put a quick end to this." He slowly raised his sword to his left to lash outwards, not showing any sign of having doubts. Shivering all over, Ranmaru bucked it. He ran out of the building, away from Masamune, who lowered his blade again. He did not give chase.

He returned to the main building where Yukimura and Mitsuhide had moved their battle to, damn him if he knew why. He came to a halt next to the Tiger Cub.

"Ready to finish this?"

"Date-dono, I ask that you yield this battle to me!"

"Masamune-sama!" A voice called, successfully drawing the attention of everyone present. Kojuro stormed into the building, running up to his master.

"Hey there, Kojuro," Masamune grinned. "Glad you made it." Kojuro came to a halt before them.

"The Devil King is at Mount Azuchi." Turning to Mitsuhide, who once again hid his facial expression behind a curtain of hair, he continued. "I have reliable word from an Echigo ninja, as well as the confirmation of Kaminari-sama. Through a great fortress blanketed by ominous clouds, he is preparing the finishing touches on his world under warrior rule!" he advanced on Mitsuhide, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "There will never be another opportunity like this. Please, lead the army outside to the Devil King! You too, Sanada Yukimura," he added, looking at the Tiger Cub from over his shoulder.

"But…I must settle matters with him!" Kojuro faced Mitsuhide again, clearly dismissing his refusal.

"Leave this monster to me. Don't let your personal feelings outweigh the greater cause! What you swore to do for the Tiger of Kai wasn't supposed to be some petty act of revenge!"

"No… You're right." Masamune sheathed his sword.

"Then we're gone. We got a nice warm-up from it."

"it is in your hands, Katakura-dono!" With that they left.

"Azuchi Castle. So it's been completed. For the final banquet, that might be the most suitable location." Kojuro drew his sword.

"It is unfortunate, then, that you were not invited," he stated.

* * *

Outside of the temple, the large army going against Oda was hard to overlook. Yukimura was amazed.

"So many men…!" Masamune was just grinning as usual.

"This'll be one hell of a party, the more people the better." He went over to his horse still waiting where he had left it at the gate and found Kaminari already sitting on it.

" _There are other ways of going at this other than disbanding the army, you know,"_ she scolded him.

"Yeah, but then it wouldn't have been as cool."

" _I'm still mad at you for going off like this."_

"And I can listen to it all once the bastard of a Devil King's gone." She sighed. She would let him be for now, they _had_ more pressing matters, after all. Masamune took over command of the army easily enough and led them straight to Azuchi with Kaminari sitting behind him, hugging herself to him to avoid falling off. Though something in him wished that that wasn't the reason for it.


	11. Chapter 11

And here it is, the great conclusion! Sorry it took so long, have been really busy with school.

I'm curious about what you guys think about this full story. Reviews would be much appreciated!

I will also try and cover the second season and the movie. Might take a bit though. Enough said, enjoy the chapter! I own nothing!

* * *

 **Chapter 11: The Great Battle**

They galloped relentlessly, not resting despite the late hour. Be it cliffs, hills or rocks, nothing could make them pause.

"This is kind of reckless," Sasuke commented, running next to Masamune and Yukimura. "We should reach Azuchi before Oda's forces make it back from Honnou-ji."

" _Although we would be faster, I can sense that they won't be far behind us."_

"Yeah, there is no point in being caught in the middle, is there?"

"Why don't you just leave that to me?" And off he went, leaving Masamune to stare after him I wonder.

"Date-dono."

"Hu?"

"You anticipated all of this happening, did you not? That was why you disbanded your army. It roused me when my spirits were low."

"Every last one of 'em knew it was time to put their lives on the line," Masamune answered, grinning. And apparently, that was all the answer Yukimura needed. "I don't like running in such a big group," he continued. Kaminari snorted incredulously. "But I can't miss a crazy ass party like _this._ So, boys, are you ready?!"

"YEEAAAHHH!"

"Then let's gun it!"

"YEEAAAHHH!"

"HHUUUUUAAAAHHH!" It came from the other armies.

"In one fell swoop! Azuchi will be Oda's grave!"

"Our future cannot lie with such a heartless savage! We offer him only prayers for the dead!"

"YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHH!"

"That's the spirit! Let's get psyched!"

Their conviction kept them riding and in no time at all, they had already reached Azuchi Castle. A building of the most arrogant and pompous kind if there ever was one. The truly giant gate was left abandoned. But Kaminari soon confirmed for them that the Devil King really was inside those walls. Some of the soldiers had brought explosives with them which they threw at the doors. They went off in a huge cloud of fire and destruction. However, when the dust cleared, the gate was left unscathed.

"No wonder he doesn't have any guards at the gate," Masamune commented.

"Damn these castle walls! They are impenetrable!" Turning to Masamune, Yukimura started with "Date-dono…" but stopped himself when he saw Masamune holding one hand over his stomach, or more precisely, his gunshot wound. His other hand was held up and he clenched it to a fist. "Is your wound bothering you?"

"Just rode a little harder than I thought," he said hoarsely.

"You need treatment!"

"Nah, I'm lovin' it. Been used to pain since I was a kid. Besides" Grinning, he looked over his shoulder. "Kaminari's already at it."

" _You should be grateful I came along!"_ She stated, her hands hovering over his back, emitting a soft blue light.

"That I am, believe me. Don't know what I woulda done without you. Wouldn't even be standing here, no doubt." He focused his attention back on the gate, all serious. "The real issue is, how the hell we get inside." As if waiting for that line, a loud whistle like sound could be heard from behind them. Not recognizing it as anything they had ever heard, all the men turned around to watch what was happening at their rear, or rather in the sky above. Four bright lights flew far over their heads and come down on the gate, going off in an immense explosion, throwing up dust in every direction, thus forcing the man to cover their faces with their arms as much as possible. Aside from Masamune who just looked back over his shoulder after witnessing the explosion. Further whistles could be heard and some projectiles hit right into their midst.

"Shit, where did that come from?!"

"What destructive force!"

"Big Boss," Yoshinao called. "Those things are coming in from clear on the other side of the plane!" Again, bombs hit their rows, accompanied by the whistling of four more explosives closing in. Then one of them hit a part of the castle walls directly and even a sturdy gate like this had to succumb to the destructive force of the cannon ball, opening a path for the allied forces.

"Date-dono!"

"What do you know, looks like we got some western allies," Masamune smirked. "It _would_ be nice if they had better aim, though."

"Who? You mean-…"

" _Masamune-sama, I believe we should get moving…"_

"Okay, let's ride, Yukimura." Not really waiting for him, he spurred his horse. Luckily, Yukimura was not far off at all, because shortly after they moved, a bomb hit the place they had been previously standing on. A giant crater was left from which Masamune's retainers crawled out of.

"Go get 'em, Boss!" Yoshinao cheered.

"We have faith in all of you!" Bunshichi screamed.

"Kick some ass, Sanada!" Samenosuke called.

"It's up to you!" Magobei added.

"You men handle things here!" Yukimura ordered as he rode in with Masamune and was met with an impassionate war cry. From the corner of their vision, they could see the roof of Azuchi Castle lighting up for a moment, a lightning bolt shot out and destroyed several cannon balls in mid-air.

"Gotta say, that's some nice defense system he has there," Masamune murmured. He smirked then, seeing the many soldiers, running to greet them. His hands went to his Dragon Claws. Behind him, he could hear Kaminari aiming an arrow, not missing her strained groan when she did.

"Stay here and try to lay low." Without waiting for an answer, he jumped off the horse and unleashed his swords, sending bright blue blades of pure energy down on them. Each of them went off like a landmine, throwing soldiers into the air left right and center. Yukimura, he knew wasn't doing a shabby job either, creating a hurricane of flames, teaching his own fair share of hostile soldiers how to fly. He could also hear the sound of arrows flying close by him, but he wasn't worried. Now that Kojuro wasn't here to protect his back, Kaminari was simply making sure that Kojuro would not be in a foul mood for the next few days.

At times, Masamune felt like he and the Cub had some sort of silent, unconscious understanding as they always seemed to know what the other was planning to do next. In perfect sync, they flew across the battlefield, blue and red-orange being the dominant colors of this particular battle.

The soldiers were nothing now that Mitsuhide and that brat were not there to keep them occupied, but the simple number of their troops still slowed them down more than Masamune would have liked. Still, they made steady progress and eventually, they had fought their way up to the top floor. Needing no further encouragement, Masamune and Yukimura cut down the shoji screen, the last blockade between them and the Devil King just as a gunshot could be heard. The screen cluttered to the ground, revealing the sight of a woman slowly falling backwards, tears streamed down her face and sparkled in the moonlight. Incredulous, they watched as the woman hit the ground with a _thud_.

"Sister of the Devil King," Masamune stated lowly.

 _There, in the middle of the room stood Bontenmaru, his clothing smeared with blood and a real sword in his hand just as bloody. To his feet laid his brother, Kojiro, completely motionless._

" _I'd been hoping we would be able to live peacefully, maybe next time," Bontenmaru mumbled._

Masamune's eye narrowed at the memory. This was a different situation as far as he was concerned.

Oichi turned her teary eye to look at him. Feeling an urge to do so, he approached her fallen form.

"One-Eyed Drag…" She whispered weakly. Masamune halted. Yukimura joined him. "Thank you… Nagamasa-sama…you" She rambled something hardly comprehendible. "Having met you…on the battlefield… I'm certain, he…would have…" She spoke no more. Nobunaga lowered his gun which he had no doubt used to kill his sister. None even flinched as more explosions went off outside, lighting up the room. Masamune's head shot to the man responsible.

"Devil King!" He growled. Next to him, Yukimura knelt down and lifted Oichi up. She did not move. "All this and for what?!"

"Two more fools now. Did you come here looking to take my head?" A ridiculously strong gust of wind came from behind the Devil King, throwing his cape high up. "LUDICROUS!" Suddenly, a tall and colorful window appeared behind him, with its appearance, the wind immediately died down. Yukimura laid Oichi back down, her face no longer stained with her tears. Masamune drew his sword and going into position. The blade horizontally level with his head, the sharp blade to the outside.

"Before we cut you down," Masamune spoke up. "There's something I wanna ask." To his right, Yukimura puled his two spears from his back, assuming a fighting stance, ready to strike. Masamune narrowed his eye at the Devil King as its pupil grew slitted. "Who the hell _are_ you?!" Perplexed, Yukimura watched him. "'Cause you know, with my one good eye, all I see is a monster! All the malice and evil that ever has or ever will run random in this world, twisting into something _resembling_ a man!" With a frown, Yukimura turned back to the Devil King, wondering just how Masamune was able to see something like that.

"I am Oda Nobunaga!" The Devil King simply shouted, throwing his cape dramatically. "The Devil King of the Sixth Heaven!" Another strong wind blew from him, nearly succeeding in throwing away his two opponents.

"Devil King! Facing you now, I fully understand!" A particular strong wind hit him, causing him to pause. "That is not merely a name!" The wind died down as Nobunaga spoke up again.

"Then do your worst. I will drink sake from your empty skulls!"

"Ah, give me a break. You rehearse that crap you're spewing?"

"You once carried out the cruelest deeds. Doing the bidding of your stagnant and arrogant heart. We will put an end to them here and now!" Nobunaga smirked.

"Yes, of course you will." The two charged at the Devil King, who pulled out his sword and rammed it into the ground. Cracks appeared and red-black thorn like thing shot out from the ground, steadily closing in on them. The froze where they were until Nobunaga's elongated cape hit them hard, throwing them several feet away, leaving red and blue craters where they hit the ground.

"Imbeciles! Prostrate yourselves now, or be sent to the world beyond!"

Outside the castle was also a heavy struggle going on between the Oda forces and the allied ones. Kojuro had finally caught up after disposing of Mitsuhide in the temple.

"They have broken through!" He exclaimed happily upon seeing the battles. He did not need long to find Kaminari sitting on Masamune's horse, shooting enemies where she could, Masamune's four retainers covering her. Kojuro wasted no time in joining her and getting rid of a few enemy soldiers that had gotten too lose to her for his liking.

"Boss Katakura!" They shouted.

"Sorry it took so long, guys. How is the situation?"

" _Our side seems to be holding up very well. The Tiger Cub and Masamune-sama are currently engaging Nobunaga at the top floor of Azuchi Castle as we speak,"_ Kaminari reported, pointing to where she sensed their presence.

"Alright then, we will make sure they will be undisturbed. Right, boys?"

"YEEAAAH!" Suddenly, Kaminari froze, her hand still pointed to the sky. Her mouth stood agape in shock and twisted in fear as her entire form shivered.

"Chief?" Yoshinao spoke up concerned.

" _N-Na…Naraku! Naraku is up there!"_

"Soaring Phoenix!" Yukimura shouted, but was slapped away like a fly by Nobunaga's cape. He pulled out his gun and shot at him, but each bullet missed his head just barely. Having used him as cover to safely advance on his target, Masamune appeared behind the Cub.

"WAR DANCE!" The flying lightning blades burst on the cape Nobunaga used as a shield, like a log hitting a metal surface with force. His momentum brought Masamune still closer, but as soon as the last projectile disappeared, the cape lashed out at him throwing him through the wall and sending him flying to one of the lower roofs. From the shock and pain, he had dropped his Swords he had in his left hand. Crashing down onto the roof, he could just barely ram his sword into it to not slid down further. He remained crouched, his left hand clutching his obviously bleeding abdomen. Before he was able to collect himself, however, Nobunaga was there. His hand shot out to the Dragon, his middle and ring finger parting to lift Masamune up with his one hand, also strangling him in the process.

"Time for funny games is over!" Nobunaga smirked. "Now, you will pay for your ignorance with your worthless life!"

In the castle, windows were opened, revealing riflemen, who now shot into the midst of the battle going on at the base of the castle.

"Damn, he's gunning down his own men!" Kojuro cursed, pushing Kaminari and the men closer to the castle wall, a blind spot they wouldn't easily be shot from. Kaminari took a deep breathed and steeling her resolve, she tipped her head up.

" _Kojuro-sama, I'll leave things to you here. I gotta go!"_ Without waiting for an answer, she turned into a dragon and shut up into the sky.

On the roof, Nobunaga chuckled, then shifted his hold on his prey so that his thumb was right in front of Masamune's left eye, which widened in shock and fear.

"Here's an idea. Let's gouge out your remaining eye!"

"Just try it. My eye will bear its fangs and bite back!" Masamune rasped hoarsely, barely getting enough air for his statement. A menacing growl was the only head warning they had, before two long rows of giant, very sharp teeth closed themselves around Masamune, forcing Nobunaga to quickly retrieve his hand. The dragon flew into the sky, 'watching' as Yukimura also appeared and how Nobunaga shot his gun at him to stop him in his tracks without even turning his attention away from them.

"Do not interfere in an business you have no place in!" Following the dragon with his eyes as it circled the skies, Nobunaga grinned. "Who would have thought we would get to meet again, Kagome?!" He yelled into the skies. Kaminari did one final round and then descended somewhat to better face her archenemy.

"What's happening?" Masamune's strained voice came forth from her mouth. She had opened her mouth a bit to let him see what was happening while she concentrated what energy she had left on healing his reopened wound. Nobunaga's red cloak, which had always appeared to have a mind of its own, twisted and morphed into a different shape. Masamune's eye widened as the red cloak gradually became the naked upper body of a man with long, dark locks, glowing red eyes and a sinister grin on his face. From _his_ back sprouted things like tentacles and large insect-like legs.

"Long time no see, Miko. Frankly, I thought you had died back then," the form spoke. Kaminari growled.

" _I can only return the sentiment, Naraku."_ Masamune's mind had trouble keeping up with all the new revelations and Yukimura was clearly not far behind in that aspect. _This_ was the one who had killed her and her friends? _That thing_ was the reason why she had sometimes trouble sleeping and would suffer from nightmares? _"I was already shocked to see Kageromaru again, but I never would've thought you were behind all this."_

"So you were that dragon he had been bragging about. If I had known you were so close, I would've dropped by for a visit. You don't just so happen to know where the Jewel is, do you?" She growled.

" _Even if I did, you would be the last person I would ever tell."_

"You don't need to. You just indirectly stated that it still exists and knowing you, you must be carrying it close to your person." His grin grew. "I'll just have to kill you again."

"Like hell I'd let you!" Masamune squeezed through Kaminari's teeth and launched himself at him, sword first.

" _No, Masamune-sama!"_

"Imbecile!" Nobunaga screamed and aimed his gun at him. Three shots fell of which each and every single one missed miraculously. Otherwise unhindered, Masamune crashed into the roof since Nobunaga evaded the attack in time. Naraku aimed a spiked tentacle for him, but sharp teeth closed themselves around it as Kaminari tried to drag him away from the vulnerable Masamune, who was being helped to his feet by the Cub. Naraku lashed out at her with his free limbs, but she did not budge. She felt the miasma infiltrate her body, weakening it.

Yukimura untied his red headband and used it to tie Masamune's right hand around his sword, preventing him from losing it in his slightly shivering hand. He was lacking strength and was not in his best condition, but it was now or never.

"Only got one more left in me," he admitted. He assumed his fighting stance. "We'll finish it."

"I swear on my life. Anything to bring down this monster."

"After all this, you are still trying to win," Nobunaga taunted. "You are but insects to defy my military rule." Purple smoke rouse from all around him. Yukimura and Masamune each held a hand up to cover their nose and mouth.

"What's this stuff?"

" _It's highly toxic miasma. Do_ not _breathe it in!"_

"Wasn't planning to," Masamune muttered. Naraku now managed to throw Kaminari off, who crashed down on a lower roof.

"Bastard!" Masamune charged at Nobunaga/Naraku, but was quickly fought off by a combination off tentacle attacks and gunshots.

"Date-dono!"

Suddenly, Masamune could sense a new strength filling him, practically ordering him to lay waste to this foe. Yukimura seemed to be in quite the same situation.

"Boss of Ôshu, Date Masamune, full speed ahead!"

"Takeda general, Sanada Genjiro Yukimura! The flame in my heart shall never extinguish!" He went off first, quickly followed by Masamune, both charging their target head on, their blades clashing with the Devil King's sword simultaneously. Below, Masamune could faintly make out the rising chaos as, from the sounds of it more people decided to join the party.

His attention was redrawn from the fights below in a heartbeat as Nobunaga easily threw him and Yukimura high up into the air. And then he could see it. The auras of all the people fighting for them, their energy leaked out from them, shooting to the sky to form a circle around them. They were not flying anymore then. They were floating as the energy passed through them. A gentle and warm sense of comfort filled him, a feeling he was very accustomed to. The headband tying his hand around his sword, ripped apart. Their auras almost burst with the newfound energy.

"It's the last shot, Sanada Yukimura!"

"I'm right here with you, Date-dono!"

When the energy disappeared and they started to fall, Kaminari was there to catch them on her head.

"Full speed ahead, no holding back!" Masamune shouted. Kaminari obeyed instantly, diving down sharply, utilizing all her remaining strength for the most momentum. Masamune and Yukimura lost contact to her at sometime and instead flew next to her, weapons ready.

Kaminari crashed into the castle, breaking it into small splinters, while Masamune and Yukimura had crossed their blades with Nobunaga's, which was miraculously holding its own. But with the energy they had resorted to and the momentum they had gained for their strike were eventually too much and it broke, opening the path to its master. For a moment, everything was engulfed in a frenzy of blue and any and all action froze.

When one could see again, they had a beautiful blue sky to admire and a ruin that had been a pompous castle just some hours ago. On the top of the ruin, Yukimura rose, one arm around Masamune to help him stand. Masamune could already hear the lecture he was going to get. But for now, he could only smile down to all the people that had gathered to help them defeat this nemesis as they cheered gleefully and celebrated their victory.

When he got down, however, he did not receive a lecture from Kaminari as he had expected for being so reckless, he gave himself one. He was greeted by Kojuro who held an unconscious Kaminari in human form in his arms. She had gotten a high dosis of this miasma injected directly through her mouth. He really did suck in repaying favors, didn't he?

On the way back home, she rode with Kojuro.

With Kaminari out cold, it took Masamune around ten days to fully recover. Kaminari did not wake up for another ten. In total twenty days in which Masamune rarely left her side, shutting down any disagreement by saying that he had medical knowledge and knew what to do.

When she awoke, it was in a mean kind of way. It is difficult to tell if someone is sleeping or not when their eyes are covered, after all. Thinking no one would hear him, he had started a long cheesy speech, listing just why he really did not believe he deserved someone this great and loyal (especially when they were a fucking dragon that technically had the option of eating him and his entire army should hunger knock on her door). A really cheesy speech she had patiently listened to until she could not take it anymore and laughed. Unarguably the most embarrassing day of his entire life. And then she went and told him how the Date Clan had given more than she had ever wished for in the last lonely century. One could offer her the world, she would not trade her place in his Clan. Her words not his. And he totally did _not_ blush! Worst of all, his men had been eavesdropping on them from behind the screens! Kaminari seemed like she would never stop laughing only to then whack him over the head and giving him the lecture he had originally expected, screeching about how he could be so reckless to face the country's most dangerous man on his own with Yukimura, a man she herself had died fighting against. Nevermind the fact that none of them had known just who had been controlling Oda this entire time until Kaminari had faced him.

" _Do you have any idea of how worried I was?! I thought I would never see you again! It was the same in the battle I died in! We split up to catch our nemesis off guard, we very narrowly got the upper hand and won, but almost everybody died!"_ She grabbed him by the kimono he was wearing and pulled him closer. The men watching grew restless as they simply bore witness to what was happening. _"Do you want to be so selfish and simply take away everything we worked for in all these years?!"_ Feeling dizzy from the overuse of her telepathic powers, she released the kimono from the hold of one hand to place in her head, trying to fight it and regain focus. Not having any of that, Masamune laid her back down on the futon. _"Asshole."_ Masamune chuckled as the others relaxed, sensing the lack of tension in the insult.

"Would you expect any less?"

" _Less stupidity would be nice."_ The room broke out in roaring laughter.


End file.
